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.
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