While dire warnings of a possible AIDS surge in this country grabbed the limelight during the opening of the 7th Taipei Conference on HIV/AIDS yesterday, the safety of Taiwanese businesspeople in the China also prompted concerns.
The latest statistics shows that there are 6,255 people living with AIDS in this country since its first case was reported in 1984. The incidence of HIV infection has increased by approximately 15 percent every year since 1997.
Given society's more open attitude to sex and changing behavioral patterns, the virus is threatening to spill beyond traditional high-risk groups such as gay men and drug users.
"If we fail to take strict measures to curb the epidemic, there will be 13,258 AIDS cases by 2010 and 40,655 by 2020," said Twu Shiing-jer (
"The number of reported HIV/AIDS cases is expected to exceed 1,000 in 2004 alone," Twu said.
The government has made substantial efforts to halt the spread of the disease. In 2001, an AIDS Prevention Commission was founded under the Executive Yuan to coordinate anti-AIDS campaigns.
Yet, according to Twu, attempts to rein in AIDS and to promote patients' rights remains an uphill battle. For instance, the mass media has done little to reduce the stigma attached to AIDS.
"Reporting often lacks real understanding of the disease. Sometimes, the stories fall into sensationalism and reinforce stereotypes of HIV carriers," Twu said.
Even some health professionals are reportedly indifferent to HIV-positive people infected.
"The separate AIDS wards in hospitals is proof of doctors' and nurses' discrimination against AIDS patients. We hope someday the AIDS patients will be able to seek diagnosis in whatever department they need to go. AIDS patients have the right to receive equal treatment as patients of any other infectious disease do," Twu said.
The government also came under fire for its lack of originality and urgency in its anti-AIDS campaign. Twu said policymakers are out of the touch with social workers and medical professionals who deal with patients face-to-face.
"We need to keep up with chan-ging social tides. How can you preach abstinence and fidelity when your son and daughter may be on their way to a home party?" said Shih Wen-yi (施文儀), deputy director-general of the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
Experts also warned that the nation must step up its preventative efforts as many Asian countries are on the brink of an AIDS disaster. In many Southeast Asian countries, the disease has quickly spread from drug addicts to commercial sex workers and to the greater public.
According to Dr. Roger Detels, commercial sex workers are a continuing reservoir of infection for men across country boundaries. In this country, men who travel to Thailand, Vietnam, or China to buy sex are at high risk, as are men who marry foreign women who have not had health check-ups.
O.C. Lin (連愛珠), the chief executive of Hong Kong AIDS Foundation, provided some staggering figures to the conference.
"Official figures shows that there are 840,000 people infected with HIV in China. But international health experts believe that the real figure lies between 1.5 million and 2 million," Lin said.
Given the Chinese government's cryptic attitude about any infection outbreak, experts believe that the official estimates are just the tip of an iceberg.
Health officials appealed to businesspeople working in China, urging them to take steps to protect themselves.
"We advise Taiwanese to avoid sexual activity in China. If they become involved in sexual activities, practicing safe sex is of paramount importance," CDC Deputy Director Lin Ding (
Also see story:
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
RSS