The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Thursday said it would subsidize preventive medicine for 1,000 people at high risk of contracting HIV to lower their chances of infection.
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said that the WHO has recommended a pre-exposure prophylaxis regime to help prevent HIV infections, with the results especially good among those who practice unsafe sex.
Lo said that starting next month, five hospitals in southern and northern Taiwan would take part in the pilot program, which is to provide a subsidy to 1,000 people.
However, due to a limited budget and the desire to motivate people to take steps on their own to prevent infection, those who receive the subsidy would still have to shoulder part of the expenses, with the self-paid ratio to increase each month, Lo said.
He said those in the program would have to take one dose of medicine per day, with each dose costing about NT$400.
Taking the medicine for five to seven days allows its concentration to reach peak protection, he said, but added that protection would be lost if doses are halted for seven days.
People should avoid intermittent doses of the medication to avoid diminishing its protective effect, he said, adding that the agency would conduct risk assessments to decide who will be eligible for the subsidy.
Priority is to be given to those at highest risk, including people whose sexual partners are HIV carriers, those who have multiple sexual partners, or those who have sex without using condoms, Lo said.
While preventive medicine lowers the risk of infection, safe sex remains the most effective protection, he added.
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