The number of hepatitis A cases reported in Taipei significantly increased last year to 12 times the annual average over the past five years, the city’s Department of Health said yesterday, adding that one of the main transmission methods was unsafe sex.
The number of hepatitis A cases has also rapidly increased nationwide since June 2015, with 1,133 cases reported last year — nine times the five-year average, Division for Disease Control and Prevention Director Chen Shao-ching (陳少卿) said.
During the same period, 272 cases were reported in Taipei, which is 12 times the five-year average, she added.
The virus is transmitted primarily via the fecal-oral route, through food or water contaminated by an infected person’s stool, Chen said.
However, a risk factor that saw an increase last year was unsafe sex, she said, adding that about 60 percent also reported having HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea or syphilis.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include fatigue, fever, yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice) and loss of appetite, said Cheng Ching-wai (鄭正威), a physician at Taipei City Hospital’s Division of Infectious Diseases.
About 10 percent of patients will relapse in the first six months and some might develop acute liver failure, Cheng added.
Vaccination is the most effective preventative measure, Chen said, adding that the government will fund the vaccine and follow-up check-ups for people with HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea or syphilis.
Getting one shot of the vaccine decreases the chance of infection to about 5 percent, while getting the recommended two shots provides protection for about 20 years, the department said.
Other preventive measures include good hygiene; avoiding consuming raw food, particularly raw or undercooked shellfish and oysters; thoroughly washing hands before cooking, eating and after using the toilet; not having multiple sexual partners; and engaging in safe sex.
The department yesterday also released its statistics on the number of reported cases of tuberculosis last year — 933 in Taipei, of which 42 percent were reported at workplaces and 4 percent at schools.
As tuberculosis is an airborne disease carried in droplet nuclei and transmitted when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks, maintaining good indoor air quality and ventilation is important, especially in offices and classrooms, the department said.
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