Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) yesterday urged people to wear proper safety equipment when cleaning up after flooding caused by Typhoon Gaemi.
Chiu also urged people to disinfect their homes and cook food thoroughly after flooding to prevent waterborne disease.
The typhoon that swept across the nation last week caused serious flooding in some parts of the south, and many people are still cleaning up their homes after wind and flood damage, he said.
Photo: CNA
“I want to remind everyone to stay safe when cleaning up and be careful not to get cut or stabbed by sharp objects during the process, as open wounds exposed to floodwater can increase the risk of infection,” he said.
People should carefully examine affected areas and remove standing water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in them, and carefully disinfect their home and practice good food hygiene to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases, he said
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that a few diseases are often reported shortly after a typhoon, such as leptospirosis, melioidosis and dengue infections.
The risk of contracting leptospirosis and melioidosis, bacterial infections that affect people and animals, often increases after a typhoon or flood, when people come into contact with contaminated water or soil, Chuang said.
The bacterium that causes melioidosis can also be spread by strong winds and inhaled by people, he added.
“Typhoon Gaemi was similar to Typhoon Morakot in 2009, which caused serious flooding in central and southern Taiwan, and after the storm, outbreaks of melioidosis and leptospirosis were reported,” he said. “The CDC urges people to take precautions and asks that doctors stay alert for possible cases.”
Typhoons in previous years also often caused an increase in dengue fever infections, especially if dengue cases had been reported before the typhoon, such as when Typhoon Soudelor hit in 2015 and Typhoon Khanun last year, Chuang said.
“While there were no local dengue cases reported since early last month, there are still imported cases of dengue and Chikungunya fever, and if some were undetected, post-flood can still increase the risk of a local outbreak,” he said.
The CDC has distributed disinfectants to local governments in areas of central and southern Taiwan that were most affected by Gaemi, Chuang said.
Yesterday morning, it issued a notification to medical personnel nationwide to stay alert to possible diseases.
If local governments need additional personnel for cleanup operations, the CDC would report it to the Cabinet to make arrangements to provide more help, Chuang said.
Taipei Medical Association chairperson Hung Te-jen (洪德仁) said that some diseases related to flooding might not present with clear symptoms, but common mild symptoms could include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, rashes, diarrhea, and pain behind the eyes.
“People should be on alert and see a physician if they suffer ‘pain behind the eyes,’ and tell a doctor whether they had been cleaning up flood-contaminated areas, if they have open wounds, had direct exposure to floodwater or have mosquito bites, to help diagnose possible infections or tetanus,” he said.
CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said the centers enhances disease surveillance for a month after a natural disaster, as the incubation period of leptospirosis could be up to 30 days and up to 21 days for melioidosis, while mosquitoes can grow from eggs to adults in a week.
People should “examine, empty, clean and scrub” empty containers and ditches that can hold standing water; wear protective gear such as long sleeves, long waterproof boots and gloves, and a mask, when cleaning up after a flood; and not eat floodwater contaminated food or frozen food that has thawed too long, he said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS