week 4-Dengue fever, Tainan, (mosquito, symptoms, treatment, transmission)

Taiwan suffers deadliest dengue outbreak

Sep 25, 2015

 Taiwan is facing its deadliest outbreak of dengue fever with a record high of 42 deaths - double the number that died last year, the authorities warned.

Last year saw 15,732 cases - by far the highest in nearly three decades - with this year shaping up to overtake it.

The total number of cases for this year has already hit 15,282, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, with the majority in southern Tainan City.

Unusually hot weather has caused the increase, it said.

High temperatures and humidity encourage breeding of mosquitoes, which is why countries with tropical climates - including Taiwan - tend to be plagued by dengue fever every year.

"This year saw temperatures in Tainan and (the southern region of) Kaohsiung at their highest in 30 years," Mr. Chuang Jen-hsiang, CDC's deputy director said.

"It's likely at its peak right now. The epidemic across South-east Asian countries is generally more serious this year," he added.

Another 36 deaths are being examined for their connection to dengue fever.

Dengue fever - which causes high fever, headaches, itching and joint pains - affects two million people across the globe annually, with the number of cases up 30 times in the last 50 years, according to the World Health Organization.

The virus, for which there is no vaccine, can lead to vomiting, bleeding and breathing difficulty in more severe cases.

Cases in Thailand have nearly tripled this year, while Malaysia also saw a surge in infections, with 219 deaths as of Sept 20, according to the CDC.

Local media have reported the epidemic hitting tourism in Tainan, a city with a population of 1.88 million, which draws visitors with its historic architecture and reputation as Taiwan's best food destination.

Businesses have seen a 50 per cent drop in visitors since the outbreak, United Daily News reported earlier this month.

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/taiwan-suffers-deadliest-dengue-outbreak

Structure of the Lead:

WHO- Taiwan people

WHEN- this summer

WHAT- the dengue fever

WHY- mosquitoes

WHERE- the south of Taiwan

HOW- many people died

Keywords:

1.      deadliest 致命

2.      breed 孳生

3.      peak 尖峰

4.      epidemic 疫情

5.      joint 關節

6.      vaccine 疫苗

7.      vomit 嘔吐

8.      surge 波動

week 3-Formosa Water Park/Formosa Fun Coast, explosion/ blast, injure

Taiwan Formosa Water Park explosion injures hundreds
June 28, 2015

More than 500 people were injured when fire ripped through crowds at a party at an amusement park outside Taiwan's capital Taipei.

Saturday's incident at the Formosa Water Park is believed to have happened when a colored powder ignited after being discharged onto the crowd.

Footage showed people panicking and screaming. Inflatable water toys were shown being used as stretchers.

Some 190 people are seriously hurt - 182 are in intensive care.

Some of them breathed in the powder, causing respiratory problems.

Local media said organizers of the Color Play Asia event had been taken in for questioning by prosecutors.

Skin 'gone'

Footage of the incident shows a party in full swing when suddenly fire erupts.

It was "hell", a male student who sustained minor injuries said, according to AFP news agency.

"There was blood everywhere, including in the pool where lots of the injured were soaking themselves for relief from the pain."

His girlfriend added: "I saw lots of people whose skin was gone."

The fire was quickly brought under control, but the cause of the incident is still under investigation.

The authorities believe something that caught fire caused the colored powder spray or dust - used to create a party atmosphere - to explode.

The substance is also used in other countries. It is made of dried corn and can be highly flammable, our correspondent says.

The 519 victims were sent to 41 hospitals, and 413 are still in hospital, say municipal authorities.

The incident occurred about 20:30 (12:30 GMT). More than 1,000 people were near the stage at the time.

The fire department said: "Our initial understanding is this explosion and fire... was caused by the powder spray. It could have been due to the heat of the lights on the stage".

Soaring temperatures

Many people flocked to water parks on Saturday as temperatures reached 36.6C (98F) in Taipei and as high as 38C in other parts of Taiwan, says the BBC's Cindy Sui in Taipei.

New Taipei City's mayor, Eric Chu, ordered an immediate shutdown of the water park pending an investigation.

Taiwan has suffered a series of deadly fires in the past couple of years due partly to poor enforcement of building and fire safety codes and illegal construction, our correspondent adds.

A fire earlier this year killed six firefighters, prompting orders to rectify illegally constructed buildings and upgrade firefighters' equipment and training.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33300970

Structure of the Lead:

WHO- some of people joining Color Play Asia

WHEN- June 27, 2015

WHAT- the colored powder explosion

WHY- colored powder spraying

WHERE- Formosa Water Park

HOW- many people injured

Keywords:

1. Ignite 點燃

2. Footage 影片

3. Inflatable 充氣的

4. Stretcher 擔架

5. Respiratory 呼吸

6. Prosecutor 起訴人

7. Sustain 遭受

8. Municipal 市政的

9. Pending 在..期間

10. Code 法規

11. Prompt 驅使

12. Rectify 糾正

13. Upgrade 升級

week 2-Nepal earthquake, 2015, death toll, kill

Taiwan welcomes Nepal quake victims for medical treatment

May 12, 2015

By Kelven Huang and S.C. Chang

Taipei, May 12 (CNA) as Nepal has expressed hope that it can send some of its earthquake victims to Taiwan for medical treatment, President Ma Ying-Jeou said Tuesday that "we are considering receiving them."

Ma made the remarks while receiving a group of overseas Chinese community leaders from the United States at the Presidential Office.

Although Taiwanese government officials cannot visit the Himalayan country in the wake of two recent devastating quakes, "our NGO's and civic groups have offered all kinds of assistance," he told the visitors.

Taiwan and Nepal do not have diplomatic ties, but Taiwan's representative in India, Tien Chung-Kuang, has stayed in Kathmandu since the magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit April 25 to coordinate Taiwan's relief efforts. Tien arrived back in New Delhi Tuesday.

Ma said Taiwan is a peace-loving country that offers humanitarian aid to all countries and areas in need, one of the reasons, he said why 142 countries around the globe give visa-free or landing visa privileges to Taiwanese nationals.

This is possible also because of improved ties between Taiwan and China, said Ma.

http://focustaiwan.tw/search/201505120028.aspx?q=Nepal             

Structure of the Lead:

WHO- Taiwan government

WHEN- May 12, 2015

WHAT- receiving victims for medical treatment

WHY- Nepal having a serious quake

WHERE- Taiwan

HOW- not given

Keywords:

1. Devastating 破壞性的

2. Coordinate 座標

3. Humanitarian 人道主義

4. Civic 公民
5. Privilege 特權

week 1-Mediterranean Sea, migrant, shipwreck

Migrant Boat Capsizes in Mediterranean, 25 Dead

August 5, 2015

ROME: A boat packed with up to 700 African migrants capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya today and many are feared dead, officials and aid agencies said.

Italian Coast Guard spokesman Filippo Marini said first reports indicated there were between 400 and 600 people on board and that 25 bodies had been recovered so far.

The operation, which also included Italian and Irish vessels, was continuing, he added.

The humanitarian group Medicines sans Frontiers, whose rescue ship Dignity 1 was in the area, said in a tweet that the boat was believed to have been carrying about 700 people.

"The team on the Dignity 1 can confirm that there have tragically been many deaths but does not have figures at this stage," one of its tweets said.

In another tweet, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said about 600 people had been on board and that about 250 had been rescued.

Irish Defence Minister Simon Coveney said in a statement he feared that "loss of life is likely to be significant".

The Mediterranean Sea is the world's most deadly border area for migrants. More than 2,000 migrants and refugees have died so far this year in attempts to reach Europe by boat, compared with 3,279 deaths during the whole of last year, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday.

In April, a fishing boat with up to 800 migrants sank, making it the deadliest shipwreck in the Mediterranean for decades and a symbol of Europe's long-running migrant crisis.

The 20-meter (66-foot) vessel capsized as it approached a merchant ship that had come to its assistance.

http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/migrant-boat-capsizes-in-mediterranean-25-dead-1204312

Structure of the Lead：

WHO- African migrants

WHEN- not given

WHAT- the boat capsized

WHY- not given

WHERE- in the Mediterranean Sea

 HOW- many migrants died

Keywords：

 1. tweet 鳴叫