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TAIPEI – Taiwan’s health authorities on Saturday reported this year’s first case of a human infected by avian influenza (H7N9) and are actively tracking the health of as many as 108 people who came in contact with the patient over the past two weeks.
The Centres for Disease Control (CDC) announced that a Taiwanese businessman in mainland China was confirmed to have been infected with the H7N9 virus several days after returning from the mainland on Jan. 25.
The 69-year-old man, a Kaohsiung native, is now under intensive care and remains unresponsive.
The man developed a fever on Jan. 23 while working in China’s Guangdong province and had sought medical treatment there, said Lo Yi-chun, deputy director general of the CDC.
He returned to Taiwan on Jan. 25 and went to a local hospital the following day. He was suspected to have been infected with avian influenza A. At the hospital, he tested negative for the H7N9 virus, said Lo.
But on Jan. 29, the patient showed signs of a fever and coughing with phlegm and went to the hospital again, at which time doctors suspected that he had pneumonia.
Subtype of Influenza A
The patient was hospitalised on Feb. 1 when he was again suspected to have an avian influenza A infection. A second test confirmed the patient to be infected with H7N9, a subtype of the influenza A virus, Lo said.
Lo said that the CDC readied a list of 108 people with whom the patient had contact over the past few days, including six colleagues in mainland China.
Of the six colleagues, two showed respiratory symptoms but saw the symptoms ease after receiving medical treatment. Two family members had not developed any respiratory symptoms, said Lo.
Lo said that health units around the island would closely monitor the health of the 108 people in question and would provide them with health education brochures, self-health management notices and preventive medicines.
Lo said that cases of H7N9 infection in humans were not easy to identify in early stages, adding that infections were often only confirmed after patients became more severely ill, such as when they developed pneumonia.
Fatality rate of up to 40 per cent
The fatality rate for H7N9 bird flu is between 30 to 40 per cent, he said.
The CDC said that January was the peak season for H7N9 infections in China. It asked Taiwanese visitors to mainland China or those planning to visit the mainland to take precautions, such as avoiding touring live poultry markets, paying close attention to personal hygiene, coming in contact with live birds or eating undercooked chicken, duck and goose dishes.
Taiwan has reported five confirmed cases of human infections of H7N9 since the virus was first found to have infected a human in 2013, with all cases originating from mainland China, according to CDC tallies. The same statistics showed that mainland China had reported 261 cases of H7N9 infection since October 2016.
TAIPEI – The coldest air mass of the winter is expected to head south to Taiwan on Thursday in time for the Lantern Festival, bringing temperatures as low as 10 degrees Celsius over the weekend, according to reports Sunday.
Ahead of the arriving cold front, cooler temperatures and cloudy weather are expected in the north and other parts of Taiwan, with increasing chances of rain on Sunday, said former Central Weather Bureau Director-general Daniel Wu.
Weather reports indicate sunny, dry and stable weather in all parts of the island from Monday to Wednesday, Wu said, warning that temperature differences of at least over 10 degrees Celsius could occur between daytime and nighttime.
In light of plunging temperatures, Chiayi City’s Fire Department urged residents to air out rooms before closing doors or windows to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon monoxide poisoning cases in Taiwan are usually caused by improper usage of indoor gas water heaters, the fire department said. Other incidents are often caused by lack of ventilation after using stoves.
Residents should call emergency services if symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting and weakness occur. They should also open up doors and windows to freshen up the rooms and inspect water heaters.
Meanwhile, poor quality air was predicted in Southern Taiwan throughout the day due to high concentrations of fine particulate matter, according to the Environmental Protection Administration.
A fire in a South Korea shopping mall killed four and injured more than 40 others, authorities said Sunday.
Police suspect that sparks from a welding torch might have started the fire on Saturday in a kids’ play area in the mall in Dongtan, a commuter town south of Seoul.
Two of the four who died were builders and the others were a mall worker and a shopper. Most of the 47 injured complained of smoke inhalation.
The play area was closed at the time of the fire.
Fire authorities urged builders to follow safety regulations, noting that welding torches were blamed for past blazes.
These include a December 2008 warehouse fire in the eastern city of Icheon that claimed eight lives and a shopping mall blaze at a bus terminal in Koyang, north of Seoul, which killed nine and injured 60.
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Motorbike racing star Akarakit “Benz Racing” Worarojcharoendet has denied any involvement with alleged Laotian drug kingpin Xaysana Keopimpa.
The denial came as the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) asked relevant agencies to investigate Akarakit’s bank transactions in response to his claim he borrowed Bt6 million (S$241,370) from a friend for a down payment on a Bt20 million Lamborghini sports car.
Police linked Akarakit to Xaysana through the Lamborghini Gallardo SuperLeggera.
NSB deputy chief Pol Maj-General Chatri Paisalsilpa said his office was coordinating with the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) to check Akarakit’s transactions, especially the Bt6 million that he reportedly borrowed from Natthapol Nakkham, an arrested suspect under Xaysana’s alleged drug network.
Police are also checking a bank account with a Bt300,000 balance, which they said Natthapol wired money into on a monthly basis for Akarakit’s Area 51 big bike accessory shop.
Akarakit, the husband of actress Napapa “Patt” Tantrakul, who is pregnant, told police he became close to Natthapol through a common interest in cars and car racing without knowing about Natthapol’s alleged drug-dealing activities.
Chatri said officers would check if such money lending – which Akarakit claimed he partially repaid – took place as part of the process of probing the origins of the money while also looking into whether Akarakit bought the Lamborghini on behalf of Natthapol.
Chatri said police had not charged Akarakit although investigators still had many points that needed to get a detailed explanation from Akarakit on, such as why Natthapol loaned him such a large sum of money without asking for collateral.
Police also want to know why Natthapol reportedly had much involvement in the supercar’s accessorising, a development that led police to suspect that the car was really Natthapol’s.
NSB deputy chief Maj-General Pornchai Charoenwong said police were still checking close-circuit camera footage in an attempt to identify who left the supercar at a car-care centre in Bangkok’s Ram Inthra area and who left an orange KTM big bike at the NSB.
Pornchai said police investigators would check information with related agencies and compare it with Akarakit’s testimony and would discuss the findings tomorrow at a meeting to be chaired by NSB commander Lt-General Sommai Kongwisaisuk.
Following the meeting, police might summon Akarakit or those close to him for more details, Pornchai said.
Police have been divided into three teams to check information and evidence including what Akarakit presented and documentary evidence found at his Area 51 shop linking him to Natthapol and another arrested suspect in the case, Oo Pang-olarnpavakul.
“After the Monday meeting, police will also know who we need to interview among Thai celebrities with alleged links to Xaysana,” Pornchai said.
Akarakit reported to police at the NSB’s office on Friday to give testimony in response to the accusation that he might be involved in laundering ill-gotten gains after police searched his home and business and went public with transactions that could link him with at least two drug suspects in Xaysana’s network during the past few years.
After a five-hour interview with police, Akarakit told reporters at 10pm on Friday that he stepped forward to show sincerity and present evidence. Urging the public not to jump to any conclusions while police are still investigating, Akarakit insisted he did not know Xaysana, who was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport last month.
The ongoing investigation into Xaysana’s alleged drug network in Thailand led to more suspects being arrested.
Akarakit’s lawyer Saran Krit-atkan said his client had nothing to do with drug trafficking and his name only came up in relation to the case because of his purchase of a certain asset, which could be explained by evidence Akarakit possessed. He said Akarakit would co-operate with the investigation until it ended.
A police source said that Sommai had recently led NSB investigators to the South to arrest more alleged accomplices linked to the case as well as alleged associated drug networks.
The source said although it was alleged that Xaysana was a major drug dealer, police believed there were people higher up than him in the case.
ONCB secretary general Sirinya Sitthichai said that if Akarakit could not properly explain the Bt6 million loan and provide related evidence, he might be charged.
Sirinya said the ONCB might also seize the car and give it to public prosecutors to decide what to do, with the car being auctioned at possibility.
A girl who is turning 4 next week is fighting for her life in the hospital after her throat was slit by a man who had also killed her mother at their Caloocan City residence early Thursday morning.
The suspect, Jayson del Valle, a guest at the victims’ house in Barangay (village) 176, Camarin, tried to hide but was arrested hours after he killed Janelle Mangulabnan and wounded her daughter.
Quoting Del Valle’s confession, the police said the suspect, a friend of Mangulabnan’s live-in partner who is currently working abroad, was having a drink at her house when he tried to kiss Janelle.
She resisted and hit the suspect, who then reached for a knife at the kitchen.
Suspect didn’t escape
He cut Janelle’s throat and did the same to her crying child, according to the case investigator, PO3 Israel Albay of the Caloocan police.
Albay said the suspect did not flee and even took the time to clean the knife. Around 6 a.m., Mangulabnan’s father arrived after being unable to contact his daughter. He discovered the crime but did not see Del Valle, who by then had climbed up the bungalow’s ceiling to hide.
As Janelle and her daughter were brought to Tala hospital, Del Valle, despite being left alone in the house, couldn’t go out because the door was locked from outside.
He was again hiding in the ceiling when finally discovered and arrested around 3 p.m. on Thursday.
Still in ICU
Del Valle, an auto electrician, remained in detention as of Friday to face charges for murder and frustrated murder. The police are also checking if he used illegal drugs.
As of Friday night, the girl remained in the intensive care unit because of breathing problems, Albay said.
Initial findings indicated she might lose her ability to speak due to damaged vocal cords.
Her father, Janelle’s partner, is due to return from abroad on Monday.
Expressing bewilderment, Samsung officials in Seoul on Friday remained confused over a tweet by US President Donald Trump that praised the South Korean tech giant for considering building a stateside factory.
After news reports on Samsung’s plan to build a plant for home appliances in the US, Trump said in a Twitter message: “Thank you, @Samsung! We would love to have you!”
The South Korean company has neither tweeted back to Trump, nor denied the report.
Rather than give a direct answer, Samsung Electronics said its stance in considering building a plant remains the same, but nothing has been confirmed.
“The US is an important market for Samsung Electronics, and we have been making significant investments, including in Austin, Texas, where we have invested US$17 billion (S$23.9 billion) to date in our semiconductor manufacturing facility,” Samsung said in a statement after Trump’s tweet.
“We continue to evaluate new investment needs in the US that can help us best serve our customers.”
Last month, Samsung said it would have a new plant in US as Trump demanded businesses build factories in the country. Trump also warned the new administration may impose taxes for products manufactured outside the US.
Korean companies including Samsung, LG and Hyundai Motor have plants in Mexico serving the US market with tax benefits granted by the North American Free Trade Agreement. If Trump renegotiates the deal, they are expected to be slapped with heavier tariffs, losing price competitiveness in the market.
The unexpected tweet went viral here, particularly among Korean tech giants and carmakers as they feel the pressure from Trump to make more investments on US soil.
“We feel pressured for (President Trump) thanking Samsung because nothing has been decided yet, but it could give the wrong impression that Samsung may have done something (as he wished),” a Samsung official said.
“New investment plans like building factories take a considerable time to review. But with the president making such a comment first, we could be viewed as withdrawing from a plan that we haven’t even decided yet.”
Meanwhile, other companies like Hyundai Motor and LG Electronics confirmed last month they would build new plants.
Hyundai Motor said it would invest US$3.1 billion in the US over the next five years while LG said it would make a final decision by June on plans to build a plant there.
Trump, however, has mentioned the plans by neither Hyundai nor LG.
Staff reporter Song Su-hyun contributed to this article.
The fight between Grab and Uber has been a long and sustained one, buttressed by the fact that both companies are financially capable of dragging out one.
In November 2016, we covered the fight between the 2 companies with a detailed comparison of their features. In the end, the victory was determined by a mini landslide, with Grab taking the lead.
The interesting thought in the article was that even though Grab had significantly higher prices than Uber, the overall poll showed a win for Grab.
And although Uber’s central management has been undergoing some major upheavals with #deleteUber, the wave has not been felt close to home. It’s clear that Uber is here to stay for the foreseeable future, as they ramp up promotions and services in direct competition against Grab.
But how much of this war is actually sustainable?
We spoke to 2 NTU Masters graduates of Economics to help us break down the economics of the price war.
Warring It Out
The war strategy utilised by Grab and Uber is one of predatory pricing.
This means that companies set the costs of a service (i.e. rides) at a price lower than the marginal cost to the seller. These refer to the costs incurred by the seller when adding one more unit of service.
Through this, the companies are able to keep the costs of rides for passengers down, while upping the ante for low cost rides. All with the singular goal of eliminating the competition. Once that has been achieved, the victor gets ahold of the entire market demand, thereby exerting an almost-monopolistic control (save for taxi companies).
So the golden question would be, who would be the last one standing?
The Uber Advantage
Uber, owing to its presence worldwide has been successful in operating in loss-making markets. The losses incurred in these countries are supported by the gains they make in other markets where they have a stronger, more lucrative hold.
Secondly, event though Uber has constantly been reporting losses and a burning through of their war chest (especially in China against Didi), the company continues to raise money as if it is broke. In June 2016, Uber raised $3.5 billion from Saudi Arabia and the very next month, another $1.15 billion.
As such they have a massive war chest with which to compete, thus allowing them to cover any losses they might be making in countries where their market penetration rate is low.
Grab-bing The Win
Grab on the other hand has a presence limited to the South-east Asian region.
This restricts them with respect to their market penetration rate, and in turn, their total revenue. Logically speaking, Grab has inadvertently set itself up as the player more disadvantaged to fight a prolonged war.
However, it’s clear that this is not the case as public opinion of the Malaysian startup remains strong. This is because the regional and local players often outperform foreign players as they understand their customers more closely.
They are more sensitive to fluctuating market trends and smaller nuances and are in a better position to alter their business model according to market needs.
This places Grab at a place where they have better customer service optimisation than Uber.
A Fierce Competition
According to one of the graduates, now an economics analyst, the price war can likely sustain for a while.
The strategies that Grab and Uber involved dynamic pricing, meaning that ride costs are subject to fluctuations in demand and supply, i.e. a high demand translates to surcharges.
Both Uber and Grab have since introduced 15 per cent fare reduction at different points, with Grab going one step further by removing the base fare of $8. Upon reflection, these reductions may seem attractive but are still somewhat offset by the dynamic pricing.
The only significant benefit that comes from the reduced prices are when you take rides outside of peak hours, which honestly speaking, how often do any of us do that?
How Long Can They Continue?
The war, while exciting as a commercialised marketing strategy for the companies to announce that they can provide better savings than the other, it is highly unlikely that they will be able to sustain a constant game of trying to one-up each other.
It is typical that price wars will stagnate after a while, followed by a slew of flashy price-slashing campaign. However, there’ll still be a limit as to how far they can take their discounts, estimated to be at most a few dollars less.
After all, drivers need to earn a profit to live, and Uber and Grab must not compete with official cabs like Comfort Delgro (although taxi companies have been innovating ways to stay relevant).
Otherwise, limited by these factors, the fares set by Uber and Grab can only go so low.
For consumers, the price war can appear to be a messy thing as rates can fluctuate within minutes simply by refreshing (try testing your UberX).
It’s always good to do a search and comparison of rates before making any booking, as the upfront pricing and dynamic pricing strategies have made it more difficult for passengers to estimate costs.
In case you have yet to hear about it, there are already such Skyscanner style apps and sites in the making, with one that will pull up promo codes for you.
Whatever the case, it is certain the fight will last a while, so just buckle up and enjoy it while it lasts.
A thank you shoutout to the 2 NTU Masters graduates for consulting with me on the article.
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Number of 50-somethings giving birth has shot up in the past five years
Many women become grandmothers in their mid- to late 50s. But one woman became a mother at that age last year.
The woman, aged between 55 and 59 years old, gave birth to twin boys in August.
She is believed to be the oldest woman in Singapore to have given birth since 1989, a Sunday Times check of birth data has found.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has maintained the birth registration records since 1989. The woman’s identity and her exact age were not revealed.
Singapore’s oldest mother is one of the few – but growing – number of women giving birth in their 50s.
It is part of a worldwide trend, thanks to technological advances in reproductive healthcare and women delaying childbearing till later in life. For instance, American singer Janet Jackson gave birth to her first child, a boy, at the age of 50 on Jan 3.
But doctors caution against childbearing for women in their 50s. The risks for a host of medical problems, from hypertension and pregnancy-induced diabetes to stroke and heart attack, are all significantly higher for these women, said Dr Roland Chieng, medical director of Virtus Fertility Centre Singapore.
Medical risks aside, there are other considerations, such as the older mother’s energy levels to care for a baby and her remaining lifespan as she has a young dependant, doctors said.
But what is clear is this: Women who give birth in their 50s have gone to great lengths to have a baby at their age. Doctors said they are most likely to have used a donor’s egg to get pregnant.
Also read: Liu Lingling, 50, gives birth, child’s father unknown
Associate Professor Yu Su Ling, director of the Centre for Assisted Reproduction at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), said the average age of menopause for a woman is 49 to 50 years, when her body has no more eggs.
Prof Yu said: “For those who are still producing eggs at this age, the majority of eggs are abnormal. The chances of getting pregnant using her own eggs, even with in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), are almost zero.”
As women aged 45 and older cannot get IVF treatment here, these women in their 50s go abroad to find an egg donor and do the IVF.
Through IVF, the donor’s eggs are retrieved and fertilised with the sperm of the recipient’s husband in a laboratory, and the resulting embryo is implanted in the woman’s womb.
The Health Ministry said the reason for the age limit is that IVF success rates fall significantly after 45, among other risks for the older mother and her baby.
In the past five years, the number of women in their 50s here giving birth has shot up.
This is because more older women are using donor eggs to get pregnant, said Dr Loh Seong Feei, medical director of Thomson Fertility Centre. They could have asked their friends or relatives to donate, or found a donor overseas.
Also read: Egg donors come to the rescue of couples with fertility issues
The ICA spokesman said “no woman gave birth and registered a baby in their 50s” from 1989 to 1997. From 1998 to 2010, seven women aged 50 to 54 gave birth to eight babies. One had twins.
But from 2011 to 2015, 13 women in that age group had 17 babies.
And in the first nine months of last year, there were seven babies born to mothers aged 50 and older.
Doctors interviewed said their patients do not intentionally delay motherhood until their 50s. Some married in their 40s. Others tried for a child for many years, going through multiple rounds of IVF without success, before turning to an egg donor as their last hope for a baby.
The doctors encourage women not to delay childbearing as the risks of complications during pregnancy for both mother and child increase as she ages.
While it is not impossible, Dr Loh said it takes “almost a miracle” for a woman in her 50s to conceive naturally. Dr Yong Tze Tein, a senior consultant at SGH’s department of obstetrics and gynaecology, knows of one woman who conceived naturally in her early 50s and went on to have a healthy child.
In one unusual case, a woman in her 50s gave birth to her own grandchildren – a pair of twins.
Mr Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, chief executive of the British Surrogacy Centre of California (BSC), had a Singaporean client in her early 50s who wanted to help her son and daughter-in-law, both in their late 20s, start a family. Her daughter-in-law could not carry a baby to full term due to medical reasons. She also could not produce viable eggs that could lead to pregnancy.
So, the woman found the BSC and, through it, a 23-year-old American student at an Ivy League university to donate her eggs.
The woman paid US$35,000 (S$49,000), which included the donor’s fees and IVF cost. The procedure was done in California.
“She wanted her son to have a child and to make her a grandmother,” said Mr Drewitt-Barlow.
Also read: 45% of women in Singapore overestimate chances of getting pregnant in their 30s
Higher risk of medical problems
The risks of complications during pregnancy are significantly higher for women in their 50s, doctors interviewed warn.
These include a higher risk of hypertension, gestational diabetes, heart attack and stroke.
Older mothers also have a higher chance of giving birth prematurely. The smaller the pre-term baby, the higher the risk of complications such as brain damage, said Dr Suresh Nair of the Seed of Life Fertility and Women’s Care Medical Centre.
And older mothers may not have as much energy to raise a child. Their remaining lifespan is another concern, said Dr Nair.
Thomson Fertility Centre’s medical director, Dr Loh Seong Feei, often comes across patients in their 30s and 40s with a low reserve of eggs or with eggs of poor quality, which makes it hard for them to get pregnant.
He said: “They delay childbearing because of their career, or they marry late. By the time they seriously look at childbearing, their eggs are already compromised. This is why I always encourage my patients to start their families early.”
7: Number of women aged 50 to 54 who gave birth from 1998 to 2010. They had eight babies in total.
13: Number of women in that age group who gave birth from 2011 to 2015. They gave birth to 17 babies.
Also read: 70-year-old Indian woman gives birth to first baby
This article was first published on Feb 5, 2017.
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