The odds of catching mad cow disease from any beef in the world is so close to zero as to be a non-issue. But well over a third of the people with AIDS in China contracted it through blood transfusions, and now that blood is heading to Taiwan. They say the blood coming to Taiwan [...]
Posts under ‘Health’
And you’re worried about US beef?
I’m happy to see Taiwanese protest for the safety of their food, and the recent protests against US beef are no exception. But why aren’t Taiwanese equally, if not more so, enraged when poison food is knowingly sold to the public by local companies? I just don’t understand Stories such as the one below appear [...]
Air that is worse than hazardous
I’ve never seen the air this bad in Taiwan. My question is, if a reading of over 300 is hazardous, what is a reading of over 400? Environmental Protection Administration, Executive Yuan, R.O.C.
Taitung air pollution
Taitung air pollution may sound like an oxymoron, but atmospheric conditions have been creating some very bad air on the East Coast in the last few days. 台東風飛沙 懸浮微粒破表 | 基宜花東 | 地方新聞 | 聯合新聞網 台東市昨天又變「沙城」！受東北季風加上盧碧颱風外圍環流影響，台東卑南溪風飛沙再起，沿岸城市灰濛濛，嚴重程度讓台東縣環保局測量的空氣懸浮微粒濃度「破表」。台東市區才隔一個路口，對向商店招牌就看不清楚，能見度不到兩公尺。 台東氣象站指出，時序邁入秋季，正吹東北季風，加上盧碧颱風外圍環流影響，昨天台東市平均風速4級、最大陣風達8級，也把卑南溪床上的沙塵吹揚而起，整個台東市區沙塵漫天，民眾怨聲載道。 台東縣環保局空氣噪音防制科昨天測量懸浮微粒濃度，到昨天中午12時濃度已超過最高標準值每立方公尺1000微克，等於「破表」；呼籲民眾沒事還是不要出門。 「桌子、櫃台才剛擦過，不到幾分鐘又是一層沙了！」中午最熱鬧的台東市正氣路商家，老闆忙著做生意，不忘提醒工讀生或自己拿抹布擦拭櫃台，商家抱怨：「每次東北季風台東就被沙塵搞得慘兮兮，只能多準備一些布和防塵幕。」 中華橋上嚴重飛沙讓行經的機車騎士幾乎睜不開眼，只能慢速行駛，市區能見度低於兩公尺。 長期以來治理卑南溪風飛沙問題的水利署第八河川局也很頭痛，河川局秘書許金龍表示，昨天有開噴水槍治沙，但部分機械在八八水災時受創損壞，且有14支噴水槍流失，防沙效力有限。 許金龍說，已與嘉義大學等單位合作，請工人在卑南溪床上試種蘆葦，希望找到更有效的方式治理風飛沙。
Wow! Now that’s dirty air!
I’ve never seen the air in Taiwan over 200, although I’ve often seen it hit the mid to high 100s. And on the east coast too. I swam 2K yesterday and wish I hadn’t. I felt like hell the rest of the day. The AQI in Pingtung has been hovering around 115 for the past [...]
DOH, is that science or Homer Simpson?
The Taiwan DOH just can not seem to get their head, doh, on straight. They’re either sending conflicting messages simultaneously, or refusing to admit that they may actually need to rethink things. Or maybe they’re just not thinking at all… But that’s just it, we don’t know because they’re not releasing enough information regarding the [...]
Can a local herb cure swine flu?
I’m a huge believer in home remedies and nine times out of ten find that they work better than pharmaceutical options. Following are some excerpts from a story about a folk remedy that has proved useful for treating swine flu. I often use home remedies as a basis for a class activity, and there’s an [...]
Will the Taiwan CDC listen?
Print friendly – News from The China Post ‘Don’t overuse vaccine’ Saturday, August 29, 2009The China Post news staff A U.S. disease control official visiting Taipei City yesterday said placing everyone with a mild cold or mild symptoms of A(H1N1) on antiviral treatment is unnecessary, pointing out that it is not only expensive and a [...]
Yet another reason to just say no
Taiwan Headlines Tamiflu should not be given to all patients with flu-like symptoms without the initial screening test because that could cause drug misuse and abuse, while about 30 percent of Tamiflu users experience harmful side effects that are worse than the symptoms caused by the virus, Kuo noted.
Typical bureaucratic stupidity
Is it any wonder people get confused? Here are two stories appearing on the same day in the Taiwan English press, one advocating holding off on Tamiflu until positive H1N1 results are found, the other suggesting that doctors can prescribe Tamiflu even when negative results are found. This is one more reason to ignore all [...]