Taiwan confirms its first Swine Flu case
I’m starting a new thread that relates only to the H1N1 virus here in Taiwan. Here’s the previous thread which relates to the virus in Mexico.
It sounds like they’ve contained it so far, but I think a lot of people are becoming slightly worried because Computex is just around the corner. Last night on the news they’ve even started a “death count”.
Yep, lovely counter they have there: name of the country, suspected cases, confirmed cases, deaths… Sigh
They did have one like that last time with SARS. Looks like a baseball match…
In local news, our just arrived from WHA minister Yeh assures us that everything will be OK, especially around June, as the virus “can’t stand the heat over 30 degrees”. Chinese: http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/090521/1/1jw4s.html
The opposition already gave him a hard time a couple of days ago for playing claervoyant.
As to our foreigner affected party, he was visited yesterday by a representative of his country here in the island, who made sure he was being treated well. The above mentioned doctor turned patient is married to a local Taiwanese lady, and all measures to assure all possible cases are caught has been taken -wife was first one in quarantine along with him.
EDIT:
and the hei xin huo (fake) masks aboud, so watch out.
The masks don’t do much, though, right?
They do a lot for the economy now that factories that make them work 24/7…
the masks do dick…90% are non-standard…
btw that TV channel running the deaths in Taiwan scoreboard should be shut down, likewise the other one thats running scary music…way to stir up a panic in the community!
bt2w…I quite like the health minister (Ye Jin-chuan?)…he’s quite a down-to-earth guy; plus he gave the best advice i’ve heard so far…get out in the sun - the germs don’t like high temperatures!
but anyway its all kicking off here in terms of media hysteria…we have a SARS replay brewing nicely. expect the MRT to slap a mask-wearing rule on us within a week.
Run to the hills!
And bring your flimsy farcical facial protection!
I'm curious as to how this will affect the Dragon Boat Festival crowds.They already have one. Something about it being polite etiquette to wear a mask if you have flu-like symptoms. Heard it today on the blue line.
There are 2 more confirmed cases now.
A Taiwanese student that left from New York to HK on May 19th, by Cathy Airline [color=#FF4000]CX831[/color],and then transfered from HK to Taoyuan on flight [color=#FF4000]CX468[/color] on the 20th. Although she thought she only had a flue and did wear a mask during the whole flight; the official authority is still asking the passengers on the same flight who sat 3 rows in the front and behind, from [color=#FF4000]Row 58 to 65 [/color]on CX831 and [color=#FF4000]Row 34 to 40 [/color]on CX468 to call the 1922 line.
Another oversea student that came back from Los Angelas by Eva Air, flight [color=#FF4000]BR17[/color] on May 21st morning. Her seat was [color=#FF4000]66E[/color].
Yep, not only the masks are 90% bu he ge -not up to standards- but also, the prices have increased more than 220% in the last 3 months. :fume:
I have no choice but to wear them -office rules. I expect them to do temperature checks too, like during SARS. However, we do have our reasons. We have lots of contact with foreign visitors -last batch all came throgh NY, around the same dates as the height of contagion- and hospital staff. During SARS, one collegue two doors down got it, so I except them to pull out all kinds of efforts to avoid the same outcome.
Here we go again… Sigh
ps.
I was supposed to leave next week. Yipee!
ps.2
This better not affect the Ennio Morricone concert!
Prices for masks:
Sigh
Summer exchanges and graduation trips have been officially (MOE) labeles as no-nos.
Students studying in the US or other countries that have the flu have been adviced to come back only if feeling well.
All this will add up to a lot of idle kids this summer… Sigh
[quote=“Icon”]
Summer exchanges and graduation trips have been officially (MOE) labeles as no-nos.
Students studying in the US or other countries that have the flu have been adviced to come back only if feeling well.
All this will add up to a lot of idle kids this summer… Sigh[/quote]
Seriously? I can’t believe they’ll cancel all the overseas trips. That’s gonna be a lot of lost $ for the summer programs in Western countries.
The MOE is not cancelling per se, just “advising” the schools to “reconsider” their plans…
Speaking of which, first school closure: Kuan Fu Elementary School, one week quarantine, all students. The mother of one of the kindergarden students got it, and her child went to school two days without realizing it…
The masks may not acutally stop airborne transmission, but they prevent people from touching their noses and mouths (kids in particular), and that does a great deal to prevent transmission. Didn’t you notice that fewer people had colds and flu during the SARS epidemic?
It is just a matter of time; we should probably all stock up on those horrid masks… this is going to be worse than SARS, going into summer.
I was hoping to go to a resort in Vietnam in August; I’m thinking of changing my plans if that means being quarantined and treated like a diseased freak… Any idea whether holiday travel will be suspended or anything like that?
Hopefully it willl fizzle like it pretty much did here in the BAy Area. And we had school closures and the such but no hysteria.
[quote=“nemesis”]The masks may not acutally stop airborne transmission, but they prevent people from touching their noses and mouths (kids in particular), and that does a great deal to prevent transmission. Didn’t you notice that fewer people had colds and flu during the SARS epidemic?
It is just a matter of time; we should probably all stock up on those horrid masks… this is going to be worse than SARS, going into summer.
I was hoping to go to a resort in Vietnam in August; I’m thinking of changing my plans if that means being quarantined and treated like a diseased freak… Any idea whether holiday travel will be suspended or anything like that?[/quote]
I actually expect this to get much worse into the fall as we return to cooler weather more associated with the seasonal flu. What will happen when (when, not if) this strain works its way into the annual seasonal flu viruses. Also, the 1918 Flu Pandemic largely fizzled out inthe first summer after starting in the Northern Hemisphere spring, but rebounded with a massive vengence in the fall. Not saying the later scenario will happen, the merger into seasonal flu viruses is far more likely, but it is NOT a time to get complacent yet.
[quote=“ludahai”][quote=“nemesis”]The masks may not acutally stop airborne transmission, but they prevent people from touching their noses and mouths (kids in particular), and that does a great deal to prevent transmission. Didn’t you notice that fewer people had colds and flu during the SARS epidemic?
It is just a matter of time; we should probably all stock up on those horrid masks… this is going to be worse than SARS, going into summer.
I was hoping to go to a resort in Vietnam in August; I’m thinking of changing my plans if that means being quarantined and treated like a diseased freak… Any idea whether holiday travel will be suspended or anything like that?[/quote]
I actually expect this to get much worse into the fall as we return to cooler weather more associated with the seasonal flu. What will happen when (when, not if) this strain works its way into the annual seasonal flu viruses. Also, the 1918 Flu Pandemic largely fizzled out inthe first summer after starting in the Northern Hemisphere spring, but rebounded with a massive vengence in the fall. Not saying the later scenario will happen, the merger into seasonal flu viruses is far more likely, but it is NOT a time to get complacent yet.[/quote]
Sorry to be unclear there; I meant that the discomfort caused by wearing masks will be much worse going into summer. The flu is always worse in colder weather…
And yes, I realize that the discomfort caused by wearing a mask is infinitely preferable to the discomfort of dying from influenza.
They already went through my neighborhood, desinfecting common areas.
My coworker, who lives in Taipei city, tells me there was a little truck over the weekend, doing teh desinfecting job and handing out free masks. He was amazed not many people actually took those, he says they are quite good.
“Swine flu”
What an indignant term. Good name for a punk rock band of miscreants.
Up to no good.
A swine in the hand is worth two in the mush.
My flanks are extended, yet reinforced. And pivotable upon the hinge.
Remember security.
“Aye, Ready! Aye!”
HuZZah!
The media WILL have their stories. Facts be damned. The sheeple need their fix. Storm in a teacup. OOOH! OOOOH! OOOOH! Taiwan jsut reported its first INDIGENOUS case of swine flu. Lock up your daughters! Stop shagging your porcine buddies! We’re ALL GOING TO DIE!
How many people has swine flu killed globally so far?