Infectious disease experts yesterday raised caution about antibiotic resistance, saying that a bacteria partially responsible for a surge in respiratory illness in China is 60 percent resistant to antibiotics in Taiwan.
On Wednesday, the WHO officially asked China to provide detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses.
Chinese authorities attributed the increase to circulation of known pathogens such as influenza, Mycoplasma pneumoniae — a common bacterial infection that typically affects younger children — respiratory syncytial virus and the virus that causes COVID-19, the WHO said.
Photo: CNA
Infectious Diseases Society of Taiwan president Wang Fu-te (王復德) told an event in Taipei that Mycoplasma pneumoniae is an oft-seen infection in Taiwan that occurs year-round.
Zithromax, the antibiotic brand used to treat the infection, is already seeing 60 percent drug resistance in Taiwan, he said.
Hospitals have invested much in personnel and drug costs to combat cancer or in other situations such as surgeries or organ transplants, but drug resistance could reduce the effectiveness of such efforts, he said.
Wang called on the government and academia to jointly work on resolving the issue, suggesting drug management for animals and plants and broader public awareness.
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said that recent monitoring has shown that drug resistance for the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has dropped, while drug resistances for the Gram-negative bacteria-induced infections have increased.
Lo said these conditions have limited doctors’ ability to prescribe medication, adding that if bacteria develop multiple or broad drug resistance and limit effective drugs to one or two kinds, the day when no antibacterial is available might come soon.
He said the government is working with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration on a five-year antibacterial agent management plan.
Starting in 2025, the government is to begin limiting the use of antibacterial drugs on multiple fronts and launch a campaign to spread awareness of how misuse of antibacterial drugs could build bacterial drug resistance among the public, Lo said.
National Health Insurance Administration Deputy Director-General Lee Cheng-hua (李丞華) said the government urged doctors to provide feedback on drug usage so that plans and restrictions could be implemented to scale back the ease of obtaining antibacterial drugs.
Additional reporting by Reuters
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
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
RSS