Despite the fact that liver cancer kills more Taiwanese men than any other cancer, a survey released yesterday suggests the public has a limited knowledge of hepatitis B.
With Father's Day falling on Monday, the Liver Disease Prevention and Treatment Research Foundation conducted a survey on the public's knowledge of hepatitis B, and noted in particular the data relating to fathers.
Rating awareness of hepatitis B using a "B Quotient" scale, the foundation discovered that the public has a rather low "BQ." Although 93 percent of respondents had heard of hepatitis B, they had at best a vague understanding of what it is.
The foundation said that more than half of the fathers in the survey did not know that hepatitis B could not be transmitted through food and drink, but could be spread through blood contact.
The foundation also said that more than 80 percent of fathers who suffer hepatitis B do not go for a regular liver examination, while up to 60 percent of fathers who already suffer from the condition still drink alcohol.
"Hepatitis B is truly an invisible killer. We can be all too unaware of the symptoms, and when we finally realize something is wrong, it's already too late for a cure," foundation executive director Sheu Jin-chuan (許金川) said at a press conference yesterday.
Hepatitis B spreads through blood contact -- usually via sexual behavior, sharing needles when injecting drugs or even when getting tattoos. Food and beverages transmit hepatitis A, which should not be confused with hepatitis B, Sheu added.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
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A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it