Taiwan recorded 5,826 new syphilis cases from January to July, including 1,126 cases among people aged 13 to 24, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data showed.
That figure represents a 7 percent increase in overall infections and a 14 percent rise for the 13-24 demographic compared with the same period last year.
It also means that the number of syphilis cases among young Taiwanese has increased for the fourth consecutive year.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
The Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Ministry of Education started providing a one-on-one anonymous consultation service for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in 13 hospitals on July 1, CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said.
The 13 hospitals are: Taipei City Hospital’s Kunming Branch, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taoyuan General Hospital, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Mackay Memorial Hospital’s Hsinchu Branch, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Chi Mei Medical Center, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Municipal Gangshan Hospital and Kaohsiung Municipal Min-Sheng Hospital.
Tseng said that 382 people used the service last month, asking questions about STDs, symptoms and treatments, with most asking about free syphilis screening.
Free syphilis screening is provided to people younger than 24 in the 13 hospitals, with results available in 30 minutes, she said, adding that if the result is positive, patients are exempted from copayment and hospital registration fee to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment.
Last month, 256 people used the free syphilis screening service, with 10 testing positive, Tseng said.
The education ministry also plans to revise the Campus Sex Education Program to broaden the scope of STD prevention efforts, K-12 Education Administration division head Yeh Hsin-tsun (葉信村) said on Sunday.
The program is to include fifth graders, sixth graders and junior-high school students, Yeh said, adding that information regarding STD prevention would be integrated in the revised curriculum and workshops would be provided for teachers.
According to the Curriculum Guidelines of 12-year Basic Education, sex education starts in the first grade.
For fifth and sixth graders, the focus is on self-protection against sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Children who are not well-supported by their families tend to be more vulnerable to exploitation, Action Alliance on Basic Education president Wang Han-yang (王瀚陽) said.
Drug abuse among children and young adults is also a challenge, Wang said, adding that they are overly exposed to pornography, which could distort their perception of sex.
The alliance and the Taiwan Association for Sexuality Education believe that sex education should focus on teaching body boundaries and a sense of self-protection, he said.
The rise in STDs among children and young adults is mostly not due to the lack of education in schools, National Federation of Teachers Unions president Hou Chun-liang (侯俊良) said.
The reasons might be related to social environments, peer relationships and parental involvement, Hou said.
Schools are encouraged to promote sex education among parents to raise their awareness, Yeh said.
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