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By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
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Ahead of Valentine’s Day and the Lunar New Year long holiday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) urged people to practice safe sex to prevent HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It also announced a limited-time discount for ordering HIV self-test kits on its Web site from Saturday to Feb. 28.
CDC official Lee Chia-chi (李佳琪) on Tuesday said that this year’s Valentine’s Day and Lunar New Year long holiday are connected, and many people might have plans to enjoy intimacy and sexual activity with loved ones, so the CDC is reminding people to practice safe sex.
Safe sex involves using a condom from start to finish and properly applying water-based lubricant to prevent condom breakage, she said.
A chart on reported HIV cases is pictured on Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control
If people have engaged in unprotected sex, they should get tested for HIV or STIs regularly, she added.
“The CDC suggests people who are sexually active to get a HIV test at least once, and those who have engaged in unprotected sex are advised to get tested at least once per year,” Lee said.
However, if they are engaged in high-risk sexual behaviors, such as having sexual intercourse with multiple partners without using a condom, or involving substance use, then they are advised to get a HIV test every three to six months, she said.
Due to HIV/AIDs prevention efforts, public awareness has significantly increased, with 879 newly diagnosed HIV cases reported last year, marking the lowest annual number since 2003, she added.
The Joint UN Programme on HIV and AIDS has set a “95-95-95” target for 2030 — 95 percent of people living with HIV know their status, 95 percent of people living with HIV receiving antiretroviral therapy and 95 percent of people receiving antiretroviral therapy having suppressed viral loads, Lee said.
Taiwan was expected to have reached “93-96-95” last year, indicating that about 7 percent of people living with HIV still do not know their HIV status, which makes HIV testing even more important, she said.
Lee said the CDC’s HIV self-test kits can be purchased online from the centers’ dedicated HIV Self-Testing Web site at https://hiva.cdc.gov.tw/Selftest, or at one of 97 designated vending machines or 557 health centers, pharmacies and civic groups nationwide.
One of the most popular methods is to “purchase online and pickup at a convenience store” offered on the CDC’s Web site, as it ensures the purchaser’s privacy and no marking or text about the contents would be printed on the package, she said.
The CDC is offering a NT$101 discount — using the discount code “LOVE2026” on the Web site — from Saturday to Feb. 28 for people who order the HIV self-test kit online and pick it up at a convenience store, she said.
Meanwhile, Lee said that sporadic Mpox cases have been reported, so people at higher risk of Mpox infection are advised to get fully vaccinated for better protection.
