Physical intimacy between young people is the main way people contract hepatitis A in Taiwan and most young people do not have immunity against the disease, the Taiwan Children’s Liver Foundation said.
Five hundred and twenty-nine cases of acute hepatitis A infection have been reported this year, already surpassing the 171 cases last year, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said, adding that it is a dramatic increase compared with the total numbers of reported cases in the past few years.
As of Sunday, the CDC’s data showed 141 hepatitis A cases have been reported in Taipei and 170 cases in New Taipei City this year.
Foundation chairperson Chang Mei-hwei (張美惠), who is also an Academia Sinica fellow and professor at National Taiwan University’s College of Medicine, said that about 1,600 cases of acute hepatitis A were reported between 2006 and last year, and the spike this year is worrying.
The numbers have significantly increased since January, with sometimes 30 or 40 cases reported in a week, mostly of young people living in metropolitan areas, she said.
Chang said CDC data suggest homosexual men and bisexual people have a higher rate of infection.
Hepatitis A can be transmitted through fecal-oral interaction and sexual activity, Chang said, adding that it can be prevented by maintaining good personal hygiene, including washing hands frequently, avoiding raw food and getting vaccinated.
“Clinical trials on adults and children both showed good results for hepatitis A vaccine,” she said, adding that immunity can last for about 20 years or more if a person gets vaccinated during childhood. It is recommended that children aged between 12 and 18 months are vaccinated.
The CDC urged people to practice safe sex, and to refrain from sharing hypodermic needles to prevent hepatitis A infection.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
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