Mpox prevention strategies must be refined, as the disease mainly spreads among members of particular groups, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said yesterday, adding that the government has signed a contract to purchase mpox vaccines.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported the nation’s first two local mpox cases on Wednesday last week and the third local case on Tuesday.
Hsueh told reporters ahead of a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee that the local cases are a signal to raise awareness, but he has confidence in Taiwan’s disease prevention system, especially as it has experience in contact tracing, isolation and treatment of COVID-19 cases.
Photo: CNA
“However, mpox [prevention strategies] are a little different, as the mpox virus mainly spreads among members of particular groups, so prevention operations must be more refined,” he said.
The CDC has signed a contract to purchase additional mpox vaccines, but an import schedule is still being negotiated, Hsueh said, adding that details would be announced when they are settled.
In other health matters, New Power Party Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) at the committee meeting called to lower the age of eligibility for a government-funded breast screening program, as cancers at younger ages are becoming more common.
Health Promotion Administration (HPA) data showed that more young women are being diagnosed with breast cancer and the fatality rate is increasing, with about one-fifth of patients aged 35 to 49 diagnosed with stage 3 or stage 4 breast cancer, Wang said.
As early detection of breast cancer gives a relatively high survival rate, the ministry should lower the age of eligibility for subsidized mammograms to 40, allowing more women to detect breast cancer and get treatment earlier, she said.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, with one woman in Taiwan diagnosed with breast cancer every 36 minutes on average, she said, citing ministry data.
The ministry must implement necessary measures to reduce the nation’s breast cancer fatality rate, she added.
Hsueh said it is undeniable that incidence rates of cancers are rising and the average age of patients is falling, but the HPA should first assess the data, including how frequently screenings are done and the costs, before making an adjustment.
The ministry would present a report on its findings to the committee by June, he said.
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