A government-funded hepatitis screening policy for people born before 1986 would be expanded on Friday, adding nearly 2 million to those who are eligible, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said on Friday.
The previous policy, which has run since 2011, was for one free hepatitis B and C screening for people aged 45 to 79, HPA Director General Wu Chao-chun (吳昭軍) said.
The agency is making the change to align with the WHO’s goal of eradicating viral hepatitis by 2030, Wu said.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
Hepatitis B rates in Taiwan have dropped to 9.5 percent from 15.6 percent in 2011, while hepatitis C rates have fallen to 1.5 percent from 3.6 percent in the same period, the HPA said in a statement.
The results serve as “a solid foundation” to achieve the goal of eradicating hepatitis C in Taiwan this year, the statement said.
With screening and treatment, it is possible to fully recover from hepatitis C and mitigate the risk of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, Wu said.
Daily habits are also vital to preventing hepatitis, the HPA said.
Hepatitis B transmits through contact with blood and other bodily fluids, which is why sharing personal items such as needles, toothbrushes and razors should be avoided, it said.
Hepatitis C transmits through blood-to-blood contact, and people should be cautious when getting ear piercings, tattoos and acupuncture therapies, it said.
With World Hepatitis Day tomorrow, the WHO called on nations to “dismantle the financial, social and systemic barriers — including stigma — that stand in the way of hepatitis elimination and liver cancer prevention.”
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 next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
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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