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Taiwan News Quick Take

■ POLITICS

Su mum on county election

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday declined to say whether he would represent the party in the Taipei County commissioner election this year. Approached for comment, Su said only that “a good dish takes time to cook.” The party’s Taipei County branch has proposed an activity to compare Su’s achievements with those of Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋). There have been calls within the party for Su, who was commissioner between 1997 and 2004, to join the race.

■ HEALTH

ADHD, Web may be linked

A study by Kaohsiung Medical University suggests that adult attention deficiency hyperactive disorder (ADHD) could be associated with Internet addiction. The research by psychiatrists Yen Ju-yu (顏如佑), Yen Cheng-fang (顏正芳) and others on 2,793 college students found that female participants who were considered to have ADHD were more likely to be addicted to the Internet than their male counterparts. Compared with other ADHD symptoms, attention deficiency was the most prominent symptom among the students who were considered Internet addicts, followed by impulse behavior, the research found. The paper will be published in the next issue of the journal CyberPsychology and Behavior.

■ HUMAN RIGHTS

Tainan declares Tibet Day

Tainan Mayor Hsu Tien-tsai (?]) said yesterday that March 10 would be celebrated as “Tibet Day” from now on “to show [the city’s] respect for the universal values of human rights and self-determination, as well as our support for the Tibetan people’s struggle for freedom and democracy.” As Tibetans and Tibet activists commemorate March 10 as “Tibetan National Uprising Day” in memory of an uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, many cities around the world have made March 10 Tibet Day to show their support. Tainan, following Kaohsiung City and Pingtung County, is the third region in the country to follow suit. Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilors proposed a Tibet Day last year, but it was voted down by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) city councilors.

■ HEALTH

Therapy cuts HIV infections

Methadone replacement therapy not only reduces opioid dependence, but has helped to cut the number of new HIV infections in Taipei County via needle-sharing, a county official said yesterday. The number of HIV infections confirmed in the county following the introduction of the therapy at Taipei County Hospital’s Banciao branch early last year has dropped from 68 in 2007 to 15 last year, said Fang Chuan-chuan (方娟娟), an official at the Taipei County Public Health Bureau. A narcotics control and prevention center at the Banciao branch administers the therapy to 300 opiate addicts a day, Fang said. Methadone, a synthetic opiate, is given to recovering heroin addicts to reduce withdrawal symptoms. During the therapy, Fang said, methadone is taken orally under the supervision of clinic personnel. Huang Wen-kwei (黃文魁), deputy director of the Taipei County Public Health Bureau, attributed the surge in the number of opiate addicts seeking the therapy to the convenience of taking methadone, its lower cost compared with heroin and the fact that it reduces the risk of contracting AIDS through needle-sharing. The therapy center also provides counseling to recovering addicts.

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