Forcefully shaking an infant is physical abuse, and can result in long-term disabilities, brain injury or death, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said on Monday.
Parents or caregivers holding down an infant’s limbs, arms, shoulder or chest tightly, or shaking their body vigorously in an attempt to stop them from crying or screaming might cause the child to vomit or lose consciousness, the administration said.
The mortality rate from abusive head trauma, including from shaking, blunt impact or a combination of the two in infants and young children, can be as high as 25 percent, it said.
Up to 80 percent of survivors of such abuse might develop permanent disabilities, such as blindness, paralysis, or learning or language impairments.
The Taiwan Pediatric Association said the term “shaken baby syndrome” was changed to “abusive head trauma” to avoid people’s misconceptions about “shaking” an infant or a small child, adding that it is a severe form of physical abuse, most common in infants aged three or younger, especially those aged four months to two years.
Parents should not be concerned about mild shaking from normal care or play, as head trauma usually occurs as a result of vigorous shaking or impact, it said.
The HPA recommends “three don’ts, and two dos” for parents to prevent head trauma in infants.
Do not hold infants under their armpits and shake them vigorously, do not throw infants in the air or forcefully toss them onto a bed, and do not slap an infant in the face or head.
As for “dos,” support an infant’s neck and head when picking them up, be patient when calming an infant down, and use toys, music or other non-forceful means to redirect their emotions, it said.
The HPA said its Children Health Handbook for parents has basic instructions for caring for infants, including more tips on how to soothe a crying baby and how to prevent head trauma.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS