In recent years, advertisements about shingles — a viral disease, also known as herpes zoster or zona — and human papillomavirus (HPV) have been broadcast widely on television, often featuring unsettling images.
When my wife urged me to get the shingles vaccine last year, I learned that one dose costs NT$8,500. It requires a second dose after three months, bringing the total cost of complete vaccination to NT$17,000. Even for a high-risk, elderly individual over 70 years of age like myself, there is no government subsidy. It is no wonder that I rarely hear of elderly friends or family getting the vaccine — it is too expensive.
The HPV vaccine is reportedly available for free at school for middle school students, but it is also possible for adults to contract the virus. One dose costs between NT$3,000 and NT$4,000 — certainly enough to discourage low to middle-income households from getting vaccinated.
The government has already implemented public subsidies for many vaccines. Considering how terrifying the ads encouraging shingles and HPV shots are, the government should introduce partial subsidies to encourage the public to get vaccinated. It would be a shame if the vaccines are wasted because they eventually expire and need to be destroyed.
Wang Hsi-chang is a writer.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
US President Donald Trump created some consternation in Taiwan last week when he told a news conference that a successful trade deal with China would help with “unification.” Although the People’s Republic of China has never ruled Taiwan, Trump’s language struck a raw nerve in Taiwan given his open siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression seeking to “reunify” Ukraine and Russia. On earlier occasions, Trump has criticized Taiwan for “stealing” the US’ chip industry and for relying too much on the US for defense, ominously presaging a weakening of US support for Taiwan. However, further examination of Trump’s remarks in
As the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) reach the point of confidence that they can start and win a war to destroy the democratic culture on Taiwan, any future decision to do so may likely be directly affected by the CCP’s ability to promote wars on the Korean Peninsula, in Europe, or, as most recently, on the Indian subcontinent. It stands to reason that the Trump Administration’s success early on May 10 to convince India and Pakistan to deescalate their four-day conventional military conflict, assessed to be close to a nuclear weapons exchange, also served to
China on May 23, 1951, imposed the so-called “17-Point Agreement” to formally annex Tibet. In March, China in its 18th White Paper misleadingly said it laid “firm foundations for the region’s human rights cause.” The agreement is invalid in international law, because it was signed under threat. Ngapo Ngawang Jigme, head of the Tibetan delegation sent to China for peace negotiations, was not authorized to sign the agreement on behalf of the Tibetan government and the delegation was made to sign it under duress. After seven decades, Tibet remains intact and there is global outpouring of sympathy for Tibetans. This realization
After India’s punitive precision strikes targeting what New Delhi called nine terrorist sites inside Pakistan, reactions poured in from governments around the world. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued a statement on May 10, opposing terrorism and expressing concern about the growing tensions between India and Pakistan. The statement noticeably expressed support for the Indian government’s right to maintain its national security and act against terrorists. The ministry said that it “works closely with democratic partners worldwide in staunch opposition to international terrorism” and expressed “firm support for all legitimate and necessary actions taken by the government of India
RSS