The government should pay for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines to be given to young girls in order to lower the risk of cervical cancer later in life, a white paper released yesterday by a public health interest group said.
A paper on cervical cancer policy released by the Health, Welfare and Environment Foundation called for increased investment in cervical cancer prevention, utilizing a two-point strategy of vaccination combined with stepping up pap smears.
In particular, the authors of the white paper recommended that the Department of Health find funding to provide free inoculations for all girls at the age of 12 or 13 against HPV.
Recent statistical analysis conducted by Academia Sinica, the Taiwan Association of Gyneologic Oncologists and Taipei Medical University demonstrates the cost-effectiveness of the vaccines, said Chou Cheng-yang (
"Taking factors such as relative prevalence of different types of HPV in Taiwan into account, we find that universal inoculation of girls at a young age with an HPV vaccine could cut invasive cervical cancer by 67.9 percent," Chou said.
The researchers calculated the cost of increasing each quality-adjusted life year to be NT$444,000 (US$13,500) on average, making the NT$4,000 vaccine cost-effective as it extends life by 0.13 quality-adjusted years on average.
Despite the fact that Taiwanese women have been getting more pap smears since the procedure was covered by the National Health Insurance in 1995, one quarter of all Taiwanese women have never received one. Cervical cancer is the fifth deadliest cancer for women.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
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