The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday announced a time-limited free shipping discount for buying an HIV self-test kit from its self-test promotion Web site between tomorrow and Sept. 7.
CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said the number of newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS cases each year had been steadily decreasing, to 939 cases in 2023, but the number rose above 1,000 cases last year.
There were 513 new HIV/AIDS cases reported in the first seven months of this year, which is 12 percent lower than the same period last year, so the number of cases this year is expected to fall back below 1,000, she said.
Photo: CNA
A breakdown by age group showed that the majority of cases are young people aged 25 to 34, accounting for 39 percent, followed by those aged 35 to 44 at 28 percent and 15 to 24 at 18 percent, Tseng said.
Ahead of the Qixi Festival, also known as Lovers’ Day, tomorrow, as well as just before school restarts, the CDC urged young people to practice safe sex and get tested for HIV.
The CDC announced that starting from midnight tomorrow until 23:59pm on Sept. 7, people who purchase HIV self-test kits from the CDC’s HIV self-testing Web site https://hiva.cdc.gov.tw/Selftest would get a shipping discount.
During their purchase, they must select “order online for in-store pickup” and pick up their test kit at a selected convenience store, as well as enter the promotion code “BTS” for “back to school,” it said.
The HIV self-testing program has provided more than 55,000 test kits in the first seven months of this year, which is 25 percent higher than the same period last year, indicating that the autonomy, convenience and privacy of the self-test program was welcomed by those who need to test for HIV, the CDC said.
As many students are not yet fully economically independent, the CDC provides an e-voucher for students to receive a free HIV self-test kit every three months for those who sign onto the Web site.
Meanwhile, the CDC said it has commissioned 13 hospitals across the nation to offer anonymous sexually transmitted disease screenings and one-on-one personalized consultation services, which people can access via telephone, e-mail or the Line messaging app.
Conversations would be strictly confidential, while offering referrals to healthcare resources if required.
The CDC reminded people to use a condom and water-based lubricants to protect against sexually transmitted diseases, urging people who are sexually active to get tested for HIV at least once and those who engage in unsafe sex to get tested at least once per year.
People who engage in high-risk behavior, such as having multiple sex partners or sharing needles, should get tested for HIV every three to six months, it said.
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