Despite afternoon thunderstorms in the summer, people should not neglect the risk of heat injuries, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said yesterday, adding that Ministry of Health and Welfare data showed that there have been 510 hospital visits for heat injuries this year, as of Thursday, nearly twice the number of visits in the same period last year.
The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) issued an “orange” heat alert yesterday — forecasting highs of at least 36°C for three or more consecutive days — for Taipei and a “yellow” alert — forecasting a daily maximum of 36°C or higher — for Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Hualien, Taitung and Tainan counties, and as well as Kaohsiung.
A 75-year-old farmer in Nantou County’s Caotun Township (草屯) was found unconscious, with no heartbeat and not breathing near his vegetable garden on Sunday last week by his family. He was pronounced dead from heat exhaustion after being rushed to an emergency room, the HPA said.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Common heat injuries include heat stroke and exhaustion. The former, which if left untreated or if treatment is delayed could lead to organ failure or even death, has a mortality rate of more than 30 percent.
HPA Community Health Division head Lo Su-ying (羅素英) said that heat injuries can be prevented, and data show that men account for more than 70 percent of cases, as women usually pay more attention to sun protection.
Lo urged people to avoid unnecessary outdoor activities, work or exercise in high heat, and to use sun protection and drink plenty of water when going outdoors.
Keeping good indoor ventilation is also crucial, as hot, humid and stuffy indoors could also cause heat injuries, Lo said, adding that elderly people, children, people with underlying health conditions or do outdoor activities have a higher risk of heat injuries.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
RSS