Despite the fact that liver cancer kills more Taiwanese men than any other cancer, a survey released yesterday suggests the public has a limited knowledge of hepatitis B.
With Father's Day falling on Monday, the Liver Disease Prevention and Treatment Research Foundation conducted a survey on the public's knowledge of hepatitis B, and noted in particular the data relating to fathers.
Rating awareness of hepatitis B using a "B Quotient" scale, the foundation discovered that the public has a rather low "BQ." Although 93 percent of respondents had heard of hepatitis B, they had at best a vague understanding of what it is.
The foundation said that more than half of the fathers in the survey did not know that hepatitis B could not be transmitted through food and drink, but could be spread through blood contact.
The foundation also said that more than 80 percent of fathers who suffer hepatitis B do not go for a regular liver examination, while up to 60 percent of fathers who already suffer from the condition still drink alcohol.
"Hepatitis B is truly an invisible killer. We can be all too unaware of the symptoms, and when we finally realize something is wrong, it's already too late for a cure," foundation executive director Sheu Jin-chuan (許金川) said at a press conference yesterday.
Hepatitis B spreads through blood contact -- usually via sexual behavior, sharing needles when injecting drugs or even when getting tattoos. Food and beverages transmit hepatitis A, which should not be confused with hepatitis B, Sheu added.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A pro-Russia hacker group has launched a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on the Taiwanese government in retaliation for President William Lai’s (賴清德) comments suggesting that China should have a territorial dispute with Russia, an information security company said today. The hacker group, NoName057, recently launched an HTTPs flood attack called “DDoSia” targeting Taiwanese government and financial units, Radware told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). Local tax bureaus in New Taipei City, Keelung, Hsinchu and Taoyuan were mentioned by the hackers. Only the Hsinchu Local Tax Bureau site appeared to be down earlier in the day, but was back
PROXIMITY: Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location, the Executive Yuan official said Taiwan plans to boost cooperation with the Czech Republic in semiconductor development due to Prague’s pivotal role in the European IC industry, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said. With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) building a wafer fab in the German city of Dresden, a Germany-Czech Republic-Poland “silicon triangle” is forming, Kung said in a media interview on the weekend after returning from a visit to Prague. “Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location,” he said. “Taiwan and Prague have already launched direct flights and it is
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