AIDS cases rose in Taiwan in the first seven months of this year, the first increase in six years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
There were 584 new cases reported in the January-to-July period, a 3 percent increase from 568 reported in the same period last year, CDC officials said, adding that 367 of the people who have been diagnosed with the disease so far this year — or 63 percent — were aged 15 to 34.
HIV infections in the 15-to-34 age group increased 11 percent from the same period last year, the biggest jump among all age groups, the officials said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
The most commonly reported risk factor for AIDS was unsafe sex, accounting for 93 percent of the new cases, they said.
CDC spokesman Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said the rise in cases was linked to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, which restored normal levels of social interaction and sexual activity, especially among young people.
Thirty-four of the people diagnosed in the first seven months were women, an alarming increase over 24 in the same period last year, Lo said, adding that half of them were unaware they had AIDS until symptoms developed.
Even women with long-term partners are susceptible to AIDS and should have regular check-ups for sexually transmitted diseases, he said.
People should use water-based lubricants with condoms to minimize infection risks, while people who risk exposure to HIV should use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) under a doctor’s direction, CDC officials said.
People under the age of 35 and those with an HIV-positive partner or spouse are eligible for subsidized PrEP at 103 hospitals across Taiwan, they said, adding that another 113 hospitals provide such medication without subsidies.
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
RSS