Cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among adolescents have increased significantly in the past decade, the Action Alliance on Basic Education said today, calling on the government to launch a sexual health plan.
The alliance held a news conference today in Taipei, attended by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lo Ting-wei (羅廷瑋), Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Chen Gau-tzu (陳昭姿) and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Yueh-chin (林月琴).
There were 756 reported cases of STDs among adolescent men aged 15 to 19 in 2023, compared with 111 cases in 2012, the alliance said, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
Adolescent women in the same age bracket reported 222 STD cases in 2023, compared with 26 in 2012, the group said.
Even more worrisome is that adolescent women aged 10 to 14 reported 41 STD cases in 2023, while men of the same age reported only four cases, it said.
The government should immediately formulate a sexual health plan, family education policy and guidelines for localized sexual health education, alliance chairman Wang Han-yang (王瀚陽) said.
As sexual behavior among adolescents cannot be prevented, it is important to remind them about STD and pregnancy prevention methods as early as possible, Chen said.
The stigma around STDs in Taiwan prevents many people from seeking medical treatment, she said.
Efforts should focus on sexual health education with parental support, she added.
Avoiding discussion about sexual behavior may lead to incorrect sexual health knowledge, increasing the risk of STD transmission, Lin said.
Schools and parents should educate children from a young age so they can accumulate the appropriate knowledge, she said.
In this era of information overload, many online celebrities and key opinion leaders spread ideas about sexual behavior, Lo said.
The government should not forget about this aspect of social education and could cooperate with influencers to spread accurate information about sexual health, he said.
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