With Tomb Sweeping Day approaching, many people are taking advantage of the weekend to visit graves. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) under the Ministry of Health and Welfare advises that after the Waking of Insects in March, snakes become more active. When heading into mountainous areas, it’s best to wear long-sleeved clothing, long pants, and boots for protection, and to carry a stick to scare away snakes by rustling the grass to avoid unfortunate snake bites.

According to CDC data from Taiwan’s venomous snake bite survey, the proportion of bites by venomous snakes is as follows: hundred-pace viper (31.7%), many-banded krait (23.3%), Taiwan habu (13.2%), Chinese cobra (5.5%), hundred-pace pit viper (1.4%), and chain viper (0.5%).

CDC section chief Zheng Yafen stated that there are approximately 1,100 cases of venomous snake bites in Taiwan each year, with July and August being the peak months, accounting for about 40% of the total.

There are approximately 3,200 vials of antivenom for many-banded krait and hundred-pace viper, 1,200 vials for Chinese cobra and Taiwan habu, 330 vials for hundred-pace pit viper, and 50 vials for chain viper.

Zheng Yafen said that the main advice is for people heading into mountainous areas to try to avoid entering tall grass and to carry a walking stick to rustle the grass and scare off snakes, thereby reducing the chance of being bitten.

In addition, people may also come into contact with grassy environments where scrub typhus-carrying mites live, increasing the risk of contracting scrub typhus. CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang stated that scrub typhus is primarily transmitted through the bite of larval mites. Patients may experience persistent high fever, headache, and swollen lymph nodes. About a week after the fever starts, red maculopapular rashes may appear on the skin, and the mite bite site often develops an eschar (a black scab).

Chuang Jen-hsiang said that scrub typhus cases occur year-round in Taiwan, with a rapid increase in cases typically starting in April and May, peaking between June and July. According to data from the past three years, cases have been reported in all counties and cities nationwide, with higher numbers in Penghu County, Taitung County, and Kinmen County.