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TAIPEI (Taiwan News) ? Four out of 12 suspected cases of H1N1 swine flu in Taiwan were still under investigation, the Department of Health said Thursday morning.
The World Health Organization raised the alert level to phase five, the second-highest ranking, on Wednesday, meaning that human-to-human infections happened in at least two countries, in this case Mexico and the United States. There is only one higher level, six, indicating a global pandemic.
DOH Minister Yeh Chin-chuan said H1N1 was more difficult to detect than the SARS which hit Taiwan in 2003. During the eight days that the swine flu was contagious, there was one day that the virus was impossible to find, while the success rate with SARS was 100 percent, Yeh said.
The only way to fight the virus successfully was for people who visited affected areas or felt the symptoms to visit the hospital for medical care as soon as possible, he said.
The health minister also told the Cabinet news conference that pigs and pork were no longer to be regarded as sources of the virus. The health ministers of 13 countries banning the import of foreign pigs were uninformed amateurs, he said.
Yeh reiterated the assertion that Taiwan was one of the best-prepared countries in the world.
Former DOH Minister Chen Chien-jen said the upgrading of the WHO alert to level five meant the threat to Taiwan had increased significantly.
The WHO action also led the government to convene a meeting of its H1N1 Flu Central Command Center earlier than expected, at noon Thursday, with Premier Liu Chao-shiuan and Vice Premier Paul Chiu attending.
Liu ordered to increase the stockpiling of vaccines from its current level, currently enough to cover 10 percent of the population, while requesting manufacturers of the vaccine to ramp up production, promising the government would pay them a fair price. After the meeting, Liu told reporters he had asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist the companies in obtaining the necessary samples of the H1N1 strain from the United States and Great Britain.
Amid reports of increasing sales of masks and fears of hoarding, Liu called on the public not to panic and on businesses not to hike their prices.
Finding H1N1 cases at Taiwan?s borders would grow more difficult as the tourism season started, Liu told the regular weekly Cabinet meeting earlier in the day. Another dangerous period would come later in the year, during late autumn, as cases of common flu become more widespread, health officials said.
The premier also called on the organizers of the World Games and the Deaflympics to keep in close touch with the government.
Kaohsiung plays host to the World Games July 16-26 while Taipei hosts the 21st Summer Deaflympics September 5-15. The Cabinet-level Sports Affairs Council said it would consider postponing the games if the swine flu epidemic showed signs of peaking during the events.
Two Latin American trips for President Ma Ying-jeou were also subject to reevaluation, Vice Foreign Minister Andrew Hsia told lawmakers Thursday.
Ma is planning to travel to Central America from May 27 thru June 4, attending the inauguration of President Mauricio Funes in El Salvador and visiting allies Guatemala and Honduras. In late June, Ma is expected to travel to Panama for the inauguration of its next president.
Lawmakers have expressed fears about Ma?s health because the countries he is visiting all lie relatively close to Mexico.
Some lawmakers of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party suggested the cancellation of a May 17 march against Ma?s economic and China policies, but the party decided Thursday to go ahead unless there was a major outbreak in Taiwan.
http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news...news&cate_img=logo_taiwan&cate_rss=TAIWAN_eng
The World Health Organization raised the alert level to phase five, the second-highest ranking, on Wednesday, meaning that human-to-human infections happened in at least two countries, in this case Mexico and the United States. There is only one higher level, six, indicating a global pandemic.
DOH Minister Yeh Chin-chuan said H1N1 was more difficult to detect than the SARS which hit Taiwan in 2003. During the eight days that the swine flu was contagious, there was one day that the virus was impossible to find, while the success rate with SARS was 100 percent, Yeh said.
The only way to fight the virus successfully was for people who visited affected areas or felt the symptoms to visit the hospital for medical care as soon as possible, he said.
The health minister also told the Cabinet news conference that pigs and pork were no longer to be regarded as sources of the virus. The health ministers of 13 countries banning the import of foreign pigs were uninformed amateurs, he said.
Yeh reiterated the assertion that Taiwan was one of the best-prepared countries in the world.
Former DOH Minister Chen Chien-jen said the upgrading of the WHO alert to level five meant the threat to Taiwan had increased significantly.
The WHO action also led the government to convene a meeting of its H1N1 Flu Central Command Center earlier than expected, at noon Thursday, with Premier Liu Chao-shiuan and Vice Premier Paul Chiu attending.
Liu ordered to increase the stockpiling of vaccines from its current level, currently enough to cover 10 percent of the population, while requesting manufacturers of the vaccine to ramp up production, promising the government would pay them a fair price. After the meeting, Liu told reporters he had asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist the companies in obtaining the necessary samples of the H1N1 strain from the United States and Great Britain.
Amid reports of increasing sales of masks and fears of hoarding, Liu called on the public not to panic and on businesses not to hike their prices.
Finding H1N1 cases at Taiwan?s borders would grow more difficult as the tourism season started, Liu told the regular weekly Cabinet meeting earlier in the day. Another dangerous period would come later in the year, during late autumn, as cases of common flu become more widespread, health officials said.
The premier also called on the organizers of the World Games and the Deaflympics to keep in close touch with the government.
Kaohsiung plays host to the World Games July 16-26 while Taipei hosts the 21st Summer Deaflympics September 5-15. The Cabinet-level Sports Affairs Council said it would consider postponing the games if the swine flu epidemic showed signs of peaking during the events.
Two Latin American trips for President Ma Ying-jeou were also subject to reevaluation, Vice Foreign Minister Andrew Hsia told lawmakers Thursday.
Ma is planning to travel to Central America from May 27 thru June 4, attending the inauguration of President Mauricio Funes in El Salvador and visiting allies Guatemala and Honduras. In late June, Ma is expected to travel to Panama for the inauguration of its next president.
Lawmakers have expressed fears about Ma?s health because the countries he is visiting all lie relatively close to Mexico.
Some lawmakers of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party suggested the cancellation of a May 17 march against Ma?s economic and China policies, but the party decided Thursday to go ahead unless there was a major outbreak in Taiwan.
http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news...news&cate_img=logo_taiwan&cate_rss=TAIWAN_eng