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.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS