While new HIV cases in Taiwan have been on the decline since 2018, the latest data released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) showed an increasing rate of infection among the female population this year, with 69 percent of them women aged 30 to 49.
From 1984 to last month, HIV cases in Taiwan totaled 43,052, including 796 new infections among Taiwanese in the first nine months of this year, down 16 percent from the same period last year, CDC data showed.
Taiwanese women accounted for 33 of the new cases, up 32 percent from eight cases in the same period last year and 22 percent from six cases in the corresponding period in 2020, the data showed.
Photo: CNA
Most of these women contracted the virus through unprotected sex and about 40 percent of them reported the onset of AIDS within three months after testing positive for the virus, indicating delays in seeking medical attention, the CDC said.
The delay is usually due to a lack of risk awareness, the CDC said, adding that most people only took the test after symptoms appeared or they were notified by health units to get tested because their partners have HIV, it said.
People should protect themselves by using condoms or water-based lubricants during sex, which can prevent HIV infection and other infectious sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea and syphilis, the CDC said.
Partners of people with HIV or who have engaged in unprotected sex can take pre-exposure prophylaxis as a preventive treatment, it said, adding that accumulating a sufficient concentration of the medicine in the body by taking it regularly can reduce the risk of contracting HIV.
People who are sexually active should take an HIV test at least once, while people who engage in unprotected sex should take the test annually, it said.
HIV self-test kits can be purchased at hospitals, clinics and sites that provide anonymous HIV testing services, it added.
Instructions for using the kits can be found at hiva.cdc.gov.tw/selftest/index.aspx.
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