The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday reported its first imported case of tularemia since 2007.
The patient, a 67-year-old US citizen from San Francisco, California, showed symptoms of fever before flying to Taiwan on June 26.
The man was confirmed to have the disease on Monday after being admitted to a Taipei hospital for fever, pneumonia and a build-up of fluid in his lungs, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director Shih Wen-yi (施文儀) said in a press release. However, he was expected to be released from the hospital soon.
The CDC said tularemia is a zoonotic disease, meaning it is transmitted from -animals to humans and cannot be transmitted from human to human. The disease is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, which is found in various types of fowl, fish, rodents and mammals, which can be spread through bites, inhalation, or direct contact.
There have been reported cases of the zoonosis in North America, Europe, China, Japan, and the former Soviet bloc. Shih warned people traveling to disease-prone areas to avoid touching animals and eating raw, uncooked meat.
The CDC also reported that imported dengue fever is on the rise. A total of 49 people have been infected, most of whom have been to Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
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