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
Having lived through former British prime minister Boris Johnson’s tumultuous and scandal-ridden administration, the last place I had expected to come face-to-face with “Mr Brexit” was in a hotel ballroom in Taipei. Should I have been so surprised? Over the past few years, Taiwan has unfortunately become the destination of choice for washed-up Western politicians to turn up long after their political careers have ended, making grandiose speeches in exchange for extraordinarily large paychecks far exceeding the annual salary of all but the wealthiest of Taiwan’s business tycoons. Taiwan’s pursuit of bygone politicians with little to no influence in their home
In 2025, it is easy to believe that Taiwan has always played a central role in various assessments of global national interests. But that is a mistaken belief. Taiwan’s position in the world and the international support it presently enjoys are relatively new and remain highly vulnerable to challenges from China. In the early 2000s, the George W. Bush Administration had plans to elevate bilateral relations and to boost Taiwan’s defense. It designated Taiwan as a non-NATO ally, and in 2001 made available to Taiwan a significant package of arms to enhance the island’s defenses including the submarines it long sought.
US lobbyist Christian Whiton has published an update to his article, “How Taiwan Lost Trump,” discussed on the editorial page on Sunday. His new article, titled “What Taiwan Should Do” refers to the three articles published in the Taipei Times, saying that none had offered a solution to the problems he identified. That is fair. The articles pushed back on points Whiton made that were felt partisan, misdirected or uninformed; in this response, he offers solutions of his own. While many are on point and he would find no disagreement here, the nuances of the political and historical complexities in
Taiwan faces an image challenge even among its allies, as it must constantly counter falsehoods and misrepresentations spread by its more powerful neighbor, the People’s Republic of China (PRC). While Taiwan refrains from disparaging its troublesome neighbor to other countries, the PRC is working not only to forge a narrative about itself, its intentions and value to the international community, but is also spreading lies about Taiwan. Governments, parliamentary groups and civil societies worldwide are caught in this narrative tug-of-war, each responding in their own way. National governments have the power to push back against what they know to be
RSS