The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reminded people to practice safe sex, as rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have risen annually and more than 90 percent of people reported having unprotected sex.
While the number of people with AIDS/HIV dropped over the past three years, people with STDs rose, CDC statistics showed.
For instance, the number of people with gonorrhea rose from 7,082 in 2020 to 7,381 in 2021 and 8,015 last year, the data showed.
More than 70 percent of patients were under 30 years old, the CDC said.
The number of people with syphilis also grew annually — from 8,800 in 2021 to 9,631 last year, with 60 percent of patients younger than 35, the CDC said.
More than 90 percent of the younger generation are being exposed to STDs are due to unsafe sexual practices, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said.
Young people have paid a lot of attention to respiratory infection diseases over the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but their awareness and knowledge of STDs have not grown at all, Lo said.
Aside from preventive measures, Lo encouraged people who might be at risk to get an HIV test.
Eighty-two medical facilities provide anonymous HIV testing services, and these facilities also provide consultation services and transfer people to other hospitals if they wish, the CDC said.
HIV self-testing kits can be obtained from hospitals, kiosks or by ordering online, it said.
The CDC also encourages those at risk of being infected by HIV to take pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication, which offers a 90 percent chance of protection.
The 63 publicly funded PrEP facilities across the nation provide service for spouses of people with HIV/AIDS or those under the age of 35.
The CDC added that 95 hospitals provide the same services and provide PrEP, but users have to pay for the services.
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