On Wednesday last week, the Centers for Disease Control confirmed the nation’s first death from a rare brain-eating amoeba in 12 years. A Taipei woman in her 30s died a week after infection by Naegleria fowleri, which is most commonly found in warm freshwater environments such as rivers, lakes and hot springs.
Although it is rarely found in tap water and chlorinated swimming pools, the case has caused some alarm, as the woman had only visited an indoor water park in New Taipei City. Authorities are still testing samples taken from the park — which could take up to three weeks — so the source of the infection has not yet been confirmed, but other identified patrons of the park have been advised to monitor their health.
The case is concerning considering its sensational nature, with only five documented survivors of Naegleria fowleri infection worldwide. Experts are urging the public not to panic, as the disease is exceedingly rare. The amoeba reproduces in stagnant bodies of water, whereas most of Taiwan’s streams and lakes flow rapidly. Proper chlorination also kills the organism, which cannot be passed from human to human. Even if a body of water is contaminated, experts say it does not infect everyone with whom it comes into contact. Keeping your head above water while swimming can also help protect from infection, as the amoeba enters the central nervous system through the nasal cavity.
While there is no need to panic over Naegleria fowleri, the case presents an opportunity to check the cleanliness of public swimming facilities and water safety standards in general. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Wang Hsin-yi (王欣儀) on Friday shared the results of a Taipei Research, Development and Evaluation Commission inspection of public pools from all 12 of the city’s districts, which found some truly concerning conditions. Nearly 80 percent of the pools failed to meet standards, especially in restroom, locker room and shower maintenance, for which six facilities received a “zero” grade. Inspectors also found broken tiles, a lack of anti-slip treatment on decks, anti-slip tape peeling off from ladders, moss growing on steps and water slides, missing lifelines and facilities under repair that were accessible to the public. Another probe in New Taipei City found that five out of the 31 inspected swimming facilities were not sufficiently chlorinated.
To anyone who has visited a public pool lately, the results come as no surprise. Most have decaying infrastructure and appear to lack the funding and staff that it takes to maintain clean and safe facilities. With the climate crisis sending temperatures higher, pools can be expected to become more popular as one of the few summer refuges that do not require costly and environmentally unfriendly air-conditioning. Using swimming pools should be encouraged, but unhygienic and crumbling facilities discourage people from going and greatly increase chances of bacterial infections that are more common than Naegleria fowleri.
In addition, education on water safety when visiting beaches and rivers is needed. On Saturday, Dawulun Beach (大武崙) in Keelung was closed for a week after three people drowned on the same day. Unfortunately, this is not an unusual occurrence, in addition to frequent reports of people being swept away by strong currents in mountain rivers. As inhabitants of an island and alpine nation, every Taiwanese should be taught how to swim, as well as how to spot the signs of a rip current or flash flood.
As authorities investigate the cause of this horrific case of Naegleria fowleri infection, it serves as a reminder that they should also work to ameliorate other, more present dangers posed by unhygienic facilities and poor education. It is hoped that people are not deterred from having some summer fun while remaining realistic about potential dangers.
US President Donald Trump has gotten off to a head-spinning start in his foreign policy. He has pressured Denmark to cede Greenland to the United States, threatened to take over the Panama Canal, urged Canada to become the 51st US state, unilaterally renamed the Gulf of Mexico to “the Gulf of America” and announced plans for the United States to annex and administer Gaza. He has imposed and then suspended 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico for their roles in the flow of fentanyl into the United States, while at the same time increasing tariffs on China by 10
US President Donald Trump last week announced plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on eight countries. As Taiwan, a key hub for semiconductor manufacturing, is among them, the policy would significantly affect the country. In response, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) dispatched two officials to the US for negotiations, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) board of directors convened its first-ever meeting in the US. Those developments highlight how the US’ unstable trade policies are posing a growing threat to Taiwan. Can the US truly gain an advantage in chip manufacturing by reversing trade liberalization? Is it realistic to
Last week, 24 Republican representatives in the US Congress proposed a resolution calling for US President Donald Trump’s administration to abandon the US’ “one China” policy, calling it outdated, counterproductive and not reflective of reality, and to restore official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, enter bilateral free-trade agreement negotiations and support its entry into international organizations. That is an exciting and inspiring development. To help the US government and other nations further understand that Taiwan is not a part of China, that those “one China” policies are contrary to the fact that the two countries across the Taiwan Strait are independent and
Trying to force a partnership between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and Intel Corp would be a wildly complex ordeal. Already, the reported request from the Trump administration for TSMC to take a controlling stake in Intel’s US factories is facing valid questions about feasibility from all sides. Washington would likely not support a foreign company operating Intel’s domestic factories, Reuters reported — just look at how that is going over in the steel sector. Meanwhile, many in Taiwan are concerned about the company being forced to transfer its bleeding-edge tech capabilities and give up its strategic advantage. This is especially
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