On the Eve of World AIDS Day, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that as of Oct. 31, 1,991 cases of AIDS were reported this year — an average of six cases per day, and doctors urged people who are sexually active to get tested regularly for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The centers said that including new cases, the total number of AIDS cases in Taiwan has reached 33,018 people, and according to statistics from last year, about 70 percent of the reported cases were people aged between 15 and 35.
The majority of the cases were concentrated in the 25 to 34-year-old age group, accounting for 42 percent of cases, followed by 15 to 24-year-olds, accounting for 28 percent, the centers said, adding that the main cause of AIDS is unprotected sex or having sex without using a condom, which accounts for 89 percent of all cases.
CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said HIV, the cause of AIDS, is transmitted through blood, semen, vaginal fluids, breast milk and other bodily fluids, and is mainly spread by having vaginal or anal sex with someone who has HIV without using a condom, so everyone who is sexually active is at risk of HIV infection and should practice safe sex.
The centers said the biggest challenge to AIDS prevention is social stigma and discrimination against people with AIDS, because many people are unwilling to be tested or get treatment.
To encourage people in high-risk groups to be tested and get treatment, the centers provides at-home HIV saliva tests and anonymous screening and consulting services, in addition to a new HIV preventive, a pre-exposure prophylaxis, a pill for people in high-risk groups who do not have HIV to take daily to reduce their risk of infection.
Separately, the Taiwan AIDS Society and the Taiwan AIDS Nurses Association yesterday invited popular Taiwanese band members to urge people who are sexually active — regardless of their gender and sexual orientation — to get tested for HIV regularly and to eliminate the stigma around people with AIDS.
Yang Chia-jui (楊家瑞), an attending physician at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital’s Department of Infectious Diseases, said a common misconception is that only homosexuals are at risk of contacting HIV, but anyone who is sexually active with more than one partner and not practicing safe sex is at risk.
“Many heterosexuals in a stable sexual relationship do not think they can be infected with HIV, but if their sexual partner has unprotected sex with another person they can still be at risk,” Yang said.
He said that people who have unprotected sex should have an HIV test at least once a year and people who have multiple sexual partners, or share needles to use recreational drugs get tested every three to six months.
People can make an anonymous appointment for a HIV test, which usually takes about 15 to 30 minutes, and the medical facility will not inform the person’s family members about any test results, Yang said, adding that AIDS can be controlled by medication, similar to other chronic diseases, so people should get tested and receive treatment as early as possible.
READY: The CGA said it closely monitored China’s maritime exercise, deployed vessels to shadow the Chinese ships one-on-one and set up emergency response centers Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signaling the end of a massive maritime exercise, authorities said yesterday. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) released images it said showed Chinese vessels sailing north in rough seas past Taiwan on Thursday, on their way to China. “All the Chinese coast guard went back to China yesterday, so although they have not officially made any announcement, we consider it over,” CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said. Beijing has not confirmed the drills and the Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not say whether the maneuvers had taken place when asked at a
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: As some roads would be fully or partially closed, people are advised to take the MRT, with services expanded to accommodate more riders This year’s Taipei Marathon, which has obtained its first gold label certification from World Athletics, is to be held from 5am to 1pm tomorrow and would have 28,000 participants. The race is to start from the Taipei City Plaza and would go through major roads throughout the city, with traffic control implemented from 6am to 2pm, officials said. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and New Taipei City MRT Circle line would start operating at 5am on the day of the race, they said. The race would cover Renai Road, Xinyi Road, Hangzhou S Road, Aiguo east and west roads,
Upon its completion next year, the new Tamkang Bridge (淡江大橋) in New Taipei City is to be an important landmark in Taiwan, alongside Taipei 101, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said today. The bridge is scheduled to be completed in December next year and open to the public in the first half of 2026, connecting New Taipei City’s Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里) districts. It is an asymmetric single-tower suspension bridge, nearly 70 stories tall, designed by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid. The bridge aims to alleviate traffic in Tamsui and on the Guandu Bridge (關渡大橋), in addition to increasing the
RSS