Doctor warns of RSV risk to seniors, heart patients

Doctor warns of RSV risk to seniors, heart patients

2026-10-27

With flu season in full swing, another easily overlooked virus merits equal caution: respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Its symptoms closely resemble the flu, but it has no targeted antivirals, and rapid tests often show false negatives in adults. A doctor warned that elderly people and those with chronic diseases are at especially high risk.

Coughing, runny nose, and fever are familiar flu symptoms. They’re also common symptoms of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, making it easy to miss during flu season. But its threat shouldn’t be understated, as it can trigger pneumonia or exacerbate heart failure.

Not long ago, I saw a patient in their 60s or 70s who previously had a stent implanted for a heart attack. After contracting RSV, their body’s delicate balance was disrupted, and their condition deteriorated rapidly. By the time they went to the ER, their blood oxygen levels had dropped and they were in respiratory failure, requiring immediate intubation in the ICU.

Dr. Lee said RSV can trigger pneumonia and respiratory distress in elderly and chronically ill patients, while severe infection can elevate the risk of cardiac events such as atherosclerosis or heart attack, with impacts extending far beyond the respiratory system.

Lee Chun-wei
Tamsui MacKay Memorial cardiologist
People with pre-existing conditions are more susceptible to RSV infection, and catching RSV can trigger other underlying conditions, creating a vicious cycle. Since there are no specific antivirals to treat RSV, it wasn’t routinely tested for.

RSV screening often turns back false negatives in adults, leading many to overlook its risks. Susceptible groups such as the elderly, those with chronic cardiovascular or pulmonary diseases, and people with diabetes should exercise extra caution. Doctors advise that the simplest methods remain the most effective: Wash your hands, wear a face mask, avoid contact with sick people, and get vaccinated. Extra care should be taken when spending extended periods indoors or in crowded places. Since there’s no cure for RSV, prevention remains far better than treatment.

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#RSV #PSA #health #fluseason #publichealth #elderly #heartattack

"RSV"呼吸道融合病毒像流感醫生:長者.慢性病患高風險群

2026-10-27

正值流感季節，還有另一種病毒也得特別留意，因為它很容易被大家忽略，RSV呼吸道融合病毒，症狀跟流感很像，可是沒有特效藥，在成人中篩檢的偽陰性很高，醫師提醒，尤其是年長者、慢性病患者都是高風險族群。

咳嗽、流鼻涕、發燒，RSV呼吸道融合病毒，症狀跟流感很像，特別容易在流感季節被忽略，但它的威脅可不容輕忽，很可能引發肺炎或讓心衰竭惡化。

[[淡水馬偕醫院心臟內科醫師李俊偉]]
“我前陣子就有遇到一個60、70歲的患者，之前心肌梗塞放過支架，（後來）呼吸道融合病毒RSV感染之後，打破原本的平衡，過幾天（病程）進展很快，等到很不舒服去急診，結果馬上就發現，血氧掉了，呼吸衰竭，馬上緊急插管加護病房”

醫師說，RSV對長者、以及慢性病患者來說，除了可能引發肺炎、呼吸窘迫，嚴重還會提高動脈粥狀硬化、及心肌梗塞等心血管疾病發生機率，影響遠超過呼吸道本身。

[[淡水馬偕醫院心臟內科醫師李俊偉]]
“你有這些慢性病的人，比較容易感染呼吸道融合病毒，你感染呼吸道融合病毒，也容易誘發（其他疾病），有點是一種雙向的惡性循環，因為它沒有特別針對，呼吸道融合病毒治療的藥，因此過去不常檢驗”

成人中，偽陰性的比例很高，大家很常因此忽略，高風險族群像是年長者、慢性心血管疾病患者、慢性肺病患者、以及糖尿病患者都得特別注意。醫師建議，最簡單的最重要，勤洗手、戴口罩、避免接觸生病者、以及疫苗接種，如果長時間待在室內、人多地方要特別注意，否則，呼吸道融合病毒感染後沒有特效藥，預防勝於治療，才能讓自己保持健康。

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Rubik’s Cubes and nail clippers: candidates get creative with campaign merch

With campaigning for the upcoming local elections becoming more and more heated, candidates are racking their brains to come up with creative and innovative merchandise that leaves a lasting impression on voters. From Rubik’s Cubes featuring a portrait of a candidate to nail clippers that also moonlight as bottle openers, we take you to the streets of Yunlin, where its candidates are wildly unleashing their creativity.

With the election countdown underway, in addition to presenting their political platforms, candidates frequently launch campaign souvenirs, such as face masks, toilet paper and dishwashing sponges. However, some candidates have also had bursts of creativity, coming up with refreshing and innovative offerings.

These quick-cooking noodles come in blue and red packaging; they’re not only practical but also delicious—you can eat them!

Member of the public
Likes the campaign noodles
It’s very creative. It seems like no one else in the nation has done this yet. I feel like it’s a great deal. Everyone needs food to live and everyone can eat them.

Member of the public
Likes the campaign noodles
This is special, and you can even eat it.

Hsiao Te-shu, a candidate for mayor of Xiluo Township in Yunlin County, has been distributing quick-cooking noodles and multi-functional nail clippers combined with bottle openers –truly versatile items. Now, he’s about to unveil a new innovation: Rubik’s Cubes transformed into campaign merchandise.

Hsiao Te-shu
Xiluo Township mayoral candidate
My granddaughter in primary school said: “Grandpa, I have a suggestion for you: you could make small Rubik’s Cubes. They can be used as key chains, and they’re also a good way to exercise your brain."

Liao Chiu- ping, another candidate for mayor of Xiluo Township, is promoting a specially made handkerchief so that voters can use it every day.

Liao Chin-ming
Office of Liao Chiu- ping, Xiluo Township mayoral candidate
This handkerchief is something we all use in our daily lives.

This round piece of paper hanging from the electric fan looks like a decoration, but it’s actually a fragrance diffuser.

There’s also a bottle opener that can not only open bottles, but also act as a magnet to attach things to a fridge, so you’ll never lose anything.

Lin I-hao
Candidate for Douliu City representative, Yunlin
People won’t deliberately keep flyers, but I think everyone will keep something useful like this and won’t throw it away."

From food and daily necessities to toys, candidates are racking their brains to come up with campaign merchandise that’s both practical and creative. By grabbing voters’ attention and making them want to take the items home, they ensure the merchandise is actually used while leaving a lasting impression.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#Taiwanelections #campaignmerchandise #Yunlinelections #Taiwancampaigning

2026-10-27

Doctor introduces simple movements to stay active while indoors

As the weather turns cooler and winter looms, many people feel less motivated to go out and exercise. One doctor who believes people should “keep moving to keep living” shared simple exercises you can do at home to loosen your muscles and joints, as well as seated exercises that can support cognitive function.

Orthopedic surgeon Tai Nian-kuo has worked in medicine for 33 years. Fit at 58 years old, his secret to staying strong is simple: Keep moving. He shared a few easy, practical exercises you can do at home to stay healthy.

Tai Nian-kuo
Orthopedic surgeon
You don’t need to lift your legs very high. Just let your feet hover off the ground slightly and then move your toes. This helps prevent muscles in the lower body from atrophying and promotes knee and cardiovascular health.

For officer workers, people with chronic illness, or those who lack exercise, this is an easy exercise to do with just a chair. The next ones are a little more challenging.

Tai Nian-kuo
Orthopedic surgeon
Standing on your tip toes exercises the calf and thigh muscles, and the brain is constantly helping you maintain balance and activate your muscles, which can help prevent dementia.

Tsai Wan-chen
FTV reporter
There are also seated exercises that can prevent dementia. Dr. Tai will lead us through eight simple movements that activate the brain.

The routine consists of eight movements that work both the arms and legs. They may look simple, but the coordination is hard to master. Once you’ve mastered these, Dr. Tai has one more exercise to test knee strength.

- Sit up straight, then stand up without using your arms. Stand on one leg for 10 seconds, then switch to the other.

If you struggle with this, that’s ok. For people who can’t run, walking is also a great option. The most important thing is to make exercise a habit.

Tai Nian-kuo
Orthopedic surgeon
I always walk, because we need to get to and from work. Young people can walk 10,000 steps, and middle-aged and older people can walk 6,000. People can reduce the number of steps as they age, but it shouldn’t be less than 3,000.

Dr. Tai has devoted two-thirds of his life to treating bone and joint conditions. His journey in this field began when his father needed joint replacement surgery after a fall. Since then, he’s stuck to the motto “keep moving to keep living,” helping people stay active to stay healthy.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#doctor #health #indoor #exercise #movement #seated #winter #walk

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Kaohsiung launches intercollegiate venture to cultivate top tech talent

Amid surging demand for semiconductor and AI talent, the Kaohsiung City Government has partnered with two top universities to launch an intercollegiate research and education park dedicated to key national strategic fields. It will be near Lotus Pond in Zuoying, and with a budget of over NT$10 billion, aims to cultivate over 2,100 high-level professionals with master’s or doctoral degree by 2030. It’s a new bid to inject fresh talent into Southern Taiwan’s technology sector. Let’s find out more.

With the press of a button, construction officially begins on Taiwan’s first inter-collegiate research and education park dedicated to key national strategic fields. The initiative aims to foster deep, cross-institutional academic collaboration, with a goal of cultivating over 2,000 master’s and doctoral degree holders and attracting 4,000 professionals to the site.

John Kao
National Tsing Hua University President
In addition to what universities put into talent development, we are working together to foster the high-level professionals that Southern Taiwan needs.

Chen Yung-fu
NYCU Senior Vice President
Industry leaders tell me that we need to cultivate more talent, while students tell me they want to enter these key technological fields. The demand for talent today is likely more than a hundred times greater than it was forty years ago. Therefore, I believe that if we don’t act quickly, Taiwan’s competitive edge will gradually be overtaken.

To attract top-tier universities, the Ministry of Education will provide a budget of NT$10 billion, while the Kaohsiung City Government will facilitate inter-university collaboration; together, they aim to partner with enterprises to build a comprehensive semiconductor and AI industrial ecosystem.

Liu Kuo-wei
Deputy Minister of Education
Funding will continue to be poured in until construction is complete. The Ministry of Education truly views this as a top priority to benefit high-level talent development in the south, with the hope that it will one day surpass Hsinchu to become another major hub for talent development.

Chen Chi-mai
Kaohsiung Mayor
Our vision is talent development in Kaohsiung, technical validation in Kaohsiung, and industries putting roots in Kaohsiung, thereby creating a self-sustaining cycle of innovation.

Leveraging its prime location right next to the high-speed rail station—combined with cross-sector collaboration among industry, government, and academia—this research and education park will accelerate the industrial transformation of Southern Taiwan, as everyone bears witness to this historical moment.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#Taiwansemiconductors #Taiwantalent #Taiwanmanpower #Zuoying #NTHU #NYCU #Kaohsiungcitygovernment

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Taoyuan collabs with PEANUTS for 9-day long Halloween celebration

It’s spooky season and Taoyuan has once again pulled out all the stops for the celebration. For the first time ever, the Halloween City is collaborating with PEANUTS and spans across Taoyuan Arts Plaza, Green 1 Park, and Green 2 Park. The grand opening concert on Monday evening featured a star-studded cast including Wayne Huang and Patrick Brasca, all gathering to celebrate the holiday!

Globally-loved Snoopy and Charlie are going on spooky adventures on Taoyuan’s Lala Mountain, what will they get up to? Well, this year’s Halloween City, although delayed a little due to Typhoon Champi, kicked off on Monday evening at Taoyuan Arts Plaza, Green 1 Park, and Green 2 Park. Huge crowds of locals and visitors gathered to have some spooky ooky fun with Snoopy.

Chang San-cheng
Taoyuan Mayor
This year’s theme is everyone’s favorite Snoopy! This cartoon is over 70-years-old and is much-loved across the world.

This year’s Halloween City marks the first collaboration with Snoopy and PEANUTS. The 9 art installations combine the imagery of the urban wonders of the city including, Daxi Old Street, Taoyuan Airport, Yong’an Fishing Port, Taoyuan Public Library, Lala Mountain, and the Xiaowulai Skywalk. Everyone is invited to join Snoopy in a wondrous adventure across Taoyuan. The Halloween City even features a special meet-and-greet with Snoopy, and various programs including family-friendly theater performances and youth showcases, ensuring there is something to enjoy for every age.

Chang San-cheng
Taoyuan Mayor
Every day there will be a show for children, there’s a costume contest and even a meet-and-greet with Snoopy. I think everyone who likes Snoopy will love the event, so we want to invite everyone to our attractions every day before Nov. 1 to interact with Snoopy.

In true Halloween fashion, Mayor Chang and his team donned capes, transforming into vampires, joining Snoopy in a costume change and sincerely invite everyone to enjoy spooky season in Taoyuan.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#halloweencity #taoyuan #snoopy #peanuts #halloween #taiwan

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Former Intel CEO brings six AI startups to Taiwan

Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger is bringing Silicon Valley’s AI ambitions to Taiwan. Leading a delegation of six AI startups, Gelsinger says Taiwan is playing a central role in what could be a two-decade-long technology supercycle. With AI demand surging worldwide, companies are looking to Taiwan to strengthen partnerships and tackle critical challenges, from computing efficiency to power supply.

Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger is in Taiwan. As a general partner at Silicon Valley venture capital firm Playground Global, he’s come with representatives from six AI startups hoping to connect with the local tech ecosystem.

Pat Gelsinger
Playground Global General Partner
We thought it was extraordinarily fast last year, but we’ve seen it accelerate. 90% of the world’s AI comes through Taiwan. We think we’re in maybe a two-decade-long super cycle. We’re… clearly we’ll have some ups and downs. We’re in maybe the greatest technological, economic build-out in human history, and Taiwan plays a central role.

Ayar Labs, a silicon photonics startup backed by NVIDIA and AMD, has announced plans to establish a presence in Taiwan. The company has opened a new office in Hsinchu to strengthen collaboration with MediaTek, TSMC and Wiwynn.

Mark Wade
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We’ve deeply with our manufacturing partners, our ecosystem partners, here throughout Taiwan.

Though AI demand continues to surge, Gelsinger noted that resources remain limited. He said improving efficiency will require a complete overhaul of the system, supported by industry players working on power, memory, co-packaging and silicon photonics.

Pat Gelsinger
Playground Global General Partner
Now we see more aggressive build out of the world’s energy supply. In the digital AI world energy capacity equals economic capacity. But every industry that wants to participate in digital AI needs more energy. Across the world we need more energy capacity.

Gelsinger is set to co-host a dinner with Hon Hai Chair Young Liu to strengthen exchanges between Silicon Valley companies and Taiwan’s tech industry and snap up opportunities in the booming AI market.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#ai #intel #gelsinger #playground #tech

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Secret husband suspected of arranging Japan murder for payout

A Taiwanese woman who went on a trip to Japan never returned to Taiwan, after being stabbed to death, allegedly by a fellow traveler in the same tour group. The murder happened at a hot springs hotel in the popular Lake Kawaguchiko on Monday. Local police arrested a suspect, a woman called Yang Min-han. Now, reports have surfaced that the murder may have been orchestrated by the victim’s husband, who is suspected of marriage fraud for a potential insurance payout. Let’s hear more.

Wang Sheng-hao
Prosecutor in case
The preliminary findings suggest that Mr. Lee entered a sham marriage with the victim, Ms. Ching. He encouraged her to go on a solo trip to Japan and took out a high-value insurance policy on her.

Kao Ta-cheng
Forensic scientist
The victim was taken to a developed country, a country with good public safety, to be murdered there. That’s really rare, it’s the first time I’ve seen anything like it. I think the victim must have known that she was going to be murdered. But to be tricked so far… he must be incredible at deception.

Voice of victim’s friend (Anonymized)
Was suspicious of marriage
For as long as I knew her, she had always been single. So I was shocked when she told me out of the blue that she had a husband. I heard her arguing on the phone, but she said it was nothing, that it was just something to do with her husband. I asked what happened. She shrugged it off and said she might be getting divorced.

The victim, Ching Yun-jung, met her husband, Mr. Lee, in May this year, after she applied to work as his assistant. Shortly after, he proposed getting married, saying he would give her NT$4 -5 million if she bore him a baby. They eloped in July. According to a report, she had previously contacted a reporter asking for help, saying she had been involved in a scam and that she feared for her life. The reporter tried to persuade her to get divorced as quickly as possible, and to change the beneficiary on the insurance policy. On Sept. 21, Mr. Lee arranged for the victim to travel to Japan alone as part of a tour group. The trip was postponed, after an incident in which Ms. Ching fell onto the tracks on the High Speed Rail in Taiwan. Mr. Lee signed her up to another tour group four days later and purchased a high-value insurance policy. The victim had previously said she feared she might not live to see the end of the year, and tragically, her fears became a chilling reality.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#murder #kawaguchiko #japan #japantravel #insurancescam

2026-10-27