infectious diseases 結果共6筆

Dr. Li Shang-chien from Landseed International Hospital alerts of a potential human metapneumovirus outbreak, highlighting its global prevalence and transmission methods. He details the virus’s symptoms, which vary by age, and stresses the importance of hygiene to prevent infection.

An adult masked palm civet tragically fell to its death after mistakenly entering a chimpanzee enclosure at the Taipei Zoo. The incident occurred on December 15 and was witnessed by onlookers. The civet was attacked and killed by a chimpanzee, leaving visitors shocked. Taipei Zoo spokesperson Eric Tsao explained that while precautions are taken to ensure animal safety, it is impossible to completely close off each area due to animal welfare considerations. Tsao emphasized that this event serves as a reminder that local wildlife species can occasionally wander into the zoo. Chimpanzees exhibit a group defense behavior pattern and will attack intruders until they show no signs of life. Upon being alerted about the incident, zoo staff followed the Standard Operating Procedure and managed to lure the chimpanzees inside before addressing the situation. However, the civet had already died. The deceased civet, considered a sensitive species in terms of communicable disease control, will be sent to a professional health institution for tests to determine if it carried any infectious diseases.

A pivotal study reveals that dengue fever can rapidly spread through a transmission method similar to needle-sharing in infectious diseases like HBV, HCB, and HIV. The study, conducted by Taiwan’s National Health Research Institutes in collaboration with the Department of Health and Kaohsiung City Government, analyzed the timing of infections during the 2015 outbreak. They found that in 85% of household cases, symptoms occurred within three days of each other, contradicting the previously believed incubation period for virus transmission. Using animal models, researchers confirmed that when mosquitoes bite an infected animal and then promptly bite another, the virus can transfer via the mosquito’s proboscis, bypassing the once-considered essential eight-day extrinsic incubation period. This finding explains the rapid spread of the 2015 dengue epidemic in Taiwan and raises concerns for the recent spike in cases. The study, published in the esteemed journal eBiomedicine, a Lancet subsidiary, in August 2023, also involved international researchers from the University of California, Nagoya University, Tsinghua University, and National Taiwan University.

The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has reported the first case of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in a child detected during airport screening. A teenage boy developed a fever upon arriving from mainland China on December 4 and tested positive for the pathogen the following day. This detection has raised concerns amid an outbreak of respiratory illnesses in mainland China. The CDC has initiated targeted surveillance at the country’s four major international airports, urging travelers to undergo voluntary testing. Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections account for only 1.2 percent of the cases identified through airport screenings, indicating a downward trend overall. The current respiratory diseases in mainland China are predominantly attributed to influenza viruses, with Mycoplasma infections declining. Health officials have reassured the public that airport testing protocols will continue and are expected to be maintained through the Lunar New Year period to ensure monitoring of incoming travelers and the containment of potential infectious diseases.

便利性增加使用意願，雖然稱不上「人人都在用」，但智慧型手錶的用戶確實有在增加，而如同鍵盤一樣，越是頻繁接觸的用品，其覆蓋的細菌量越是驚人；刊登於科學期刊《傳染病發展（Advances in Infectious Diseases）》的一篇研究中發現，95%的錶帶都沾有細菌，其中甚至包含葡萄球菌、綠膿桿菌等有害菌種，在不同的錶帶材質中又以布料、塑膠、橡膠的細菌含量最為驚人。

比利時研究人員在9日至12日舉行的「歐洲臨床微生物暨感染症會議」（European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases，簡稱ECCMID）中指出，國內一名高齡90歲的婦人在同時感染Alpha及Beta變種病毒後，不幸病逝。研究人員還進一步強調，像這樣的罕見案例，恐怕遭到「低估」，呼籲各界提高使用PCR快篩方式，來偵測已知的變種病毒株。