The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is today to expand its HIV screening program to include women who have abortions, which it said would include about 100,000 women annually.
Thirty-four women have tested positive for HIV since January this year, a 31 percent increase over the same period last year, including one case in which the virus was transmitted to a newborn child, the CDC said earlier last month.
To date this year, 666 people have been diagnosed with HIV, the overwhelming majority of them being men, up from 646 new infections in the same period last year.
Photo: CNA
To raise awareness and curb the spread of the virus, the CDC would expand its screening program starting today, it said.
“Only about 2 to 5 percent of Taiwanese women are infected with HIV, but the level of awareness of the risk posed by the virus is low among Taiwanese women in general,” CDC official Lee Chia-chi (李佳琪) said.
One survey found that women in Taiwan generally have no awareness of the need to test for HIV, even if they are sexually active, she said.
“This lack of awareness results in delayed treatment, putting women at risk,” she said.
Regarding the woman who transmitted HIV to her child, Lee said the mother missed the opportunity to undergo routine screening because she did not receive prenatal care.
“Since there have been many abortions on record, we can improve screening if we provide it to those who have abortions,” she said.
The CDC amended procedures and expanded screening following discussions with the Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Lee said.
Taiwan has promoted a comprehensive HIV screening program for pregnant women since 1994.
Last year, it provided screenings to 141,710 people, with a screening rate of more than 99 percent, effectively controlling the occurrence of vertical HIV transmission from mother to child, Lee said.
Screenings are provided by medical staff after obtaining consent from patients, she said, adding that staff also provide health education and consultation services.
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