HIV has become more prevalent among Taiwanese teens and young adults despite a drop in the total number of infections, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
The number of HIV-positive cases recorded among teens and young adults climbed to 521 last year, from 451 the year before, a 13.3 percent increase, the CDC said at an event in Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) area to promote safe sex among young people during which more than 200 condoms were given away.
More than 90 percent of the young carriers contracted the disease through unsafe sex, the CDC said.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
It also found that 60 percent of Taiwanese did not use condoms during their first sexual encounter.
“We therefore want to take this opportunity to promote the importance of using condoms among young people,” Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Shih Wen-yi (施文儀) said, adding that having sex without proper precautions carries the risk of contracting HIV.
Taiwan’s efforts to combat AIDS-related disease has brought the number of new HIV cases down from a peak of 3,380 in 2005 to 1,796 last year, Shih said.
Citing unsafe sex as the main cause of HIV transmission, Chen Ching-hui (陳菁徽), an attending physician in obstetrics and gynecology at Taipei Medical University Hospital, who attended the event, called for young people to use condoms and use them correctly when having sex.
In addition, Chen reminded young adults that using condoms is not only a way to prevent pregnancy, but that it is an effective method of preventing sexually transmitted diseases.
Meanwhile, Lucifer Chu (朱學恆), dubbed a local opinion leader on the Internet, demonstrated the five steps of correctly using condoms and shared tips on carrying them discreetly and without being embarrassed. As a father, Chu also urged parents to be open-minded about their children’s questions about sex.
Don’t think they are too young to understand, he said.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
RSS