Forty years of HIV infection and AIDS in Taiwan: Reflection on the past and looking toward the future
We review the epidemiology, policies, and control programs of HIV infection in Taiwan in the past 40 years since the first case of HIV infection was diagnosed in 1984. With the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Taiwan in 1997, the incidences of HIV-related opportunistic ill...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1684118224002093 |
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| author | Sung-Hsi Huang Hsun-Yin Huang Stephane Wen-Wei Ku Po-Hsien Kuo Kuan-Yin Lin Guan-Jhou Chen Chia-Chi Lee Yen-Fang Huang Chien-Ching Hung |
| author_facet | Sung-Hsi Huang Hsun-Yin Huang Stephane Wen-Wei Ku Po-Hsien Kuo Kuan-Yin Lin Guan-Jhou Chen Chia-Chi Lee Yen-Fang Huang Chien-Ching Hung |
| author_sort | Sung-Hsi Huang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We review the epidemiology, policies, and control programs of HIV infection in Taiwan in the past 40 years since the first case of HIV infection was diagnosed in 1984. With the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Taiwan in 1997, the incidences of HIV-related opportunistic illnesses and mortality have significantly declined. However, despite improved access to HIV testing and treatment, late presentation of HIV infection remains common. Unprotected sex, particularly among men who have sex with men, continues to be the leading risk for HIV transmission after implementation of harm reduction program to control an outbreak of HIV infection among people who inject drugs that occurred in 2003–2007. The sequential introduction of well-tolerated, effective, single-tablet antiretroviral regimens has facilitated the implementation of “treat-all” policy in 2016, rapid ART initiation within 7 days of diagnosis in 2018, and same-day ART initiation in 2021 when immunochromatography was used for rapid confirmation of HIV infection. Government-funded pilot program of pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV infection, which was launched in 2016 followed by wider enrollment of people at high risk for HIV acquisition in 2018, have contributed to sustained declines of the incidence of HIV infection since 2018, along with high rates of linkage to HIV care, ART initiation, viral suppression, and retention in care in Taiwan. Challenges remain to achieve HIV elimination and long-term successful management of HIV infection, which include stigma and discrimination, late presentation of HIV infection, and accelerated ageing with increasing rates of co-morbidities among people with HIV. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-78dc652ba80f47578bffc8c683c75c8e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1684-1182 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection |
| spelling | doaj-art-78dc652ba80f47578bffc8c683c75c8e2025-02-06T05:11:20ZengElsevierJournal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection1684-11822025-02-01581716Forty years of HIV infection and AIDS in Taiwan: Reflection on the past and looking toward the futureSung-Hsi Huang0Hsun-Yin Huang1Stephane Wen-Wei Ku2Po-Hsien Kuo3Kuan-Yin Lin4Guan-Jhou Chen5Chia-Chi Lee6Yen-Fang Huang7Chien-Ching Hung8Department of Internal Medicine and Center for International Health, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, Taiwan; Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, TaiwanDivision of Chronic Infectious Diseases, Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, Taipei, TaiwanDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Taipei City Hospital Ren-Ai Branch, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Biomedical Park Hospital, Hsin-Chu County, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control Room, Min-Sheng General Hospital, Taoyuan, TaiwanDivision of Chronic Infectious Diseases, Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, Taipei, TaiwanDivision of Preparedness and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, Taipei, Taiwan; Corresponding author.Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Yunlin Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan; Corresponding author. Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, 7 Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei, Taiwan.We review the epidemiology, policies, and control programs of HIV infection in Taiwan in the past 40 years since the first case of HIV infection was diagnosed in 1984. With the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Taiwan in 1997, the incidences of HIV-related opportunistic illnesses and mortality have significantly declined. However, despite improved access to HIV testing and treatment, late presentation of HIV infection remains common. Unprotected sex, particularly among men who have sex with men, continues to be the leading risk for HIV transmission after implementation of harm reduction program to control an outbreak of HIV infection among people who inject drugs that occurred in 2003–2007. The sequential introduction of well-tolerated, effective, single-tablet antiretroviral regimens has facilitated the implementation of “treat-all” policy in 2016, rapid ART initiation within 7 days of diagnosis in 2018, and same-day ART initiation in 2021 when immunochromatography was used for rapid confirmation of HIV infection. Government-funded pilot program of pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV infection, which was launched in 2016 followed by wider enrollment of people at high risk for HIV acquisition in 2018, have contributed to sustained declines of the incidence of HIV infection since 2018, along with high rates of linkage to HIV care, ART initiation, viral suppression, and retention in care in Taiwan. Challenges remain to achieve HIV elimination and long-term successful management of HIV infection, which include stigma and discrimination, late presentation of HIV infection, and accelerated ageing with increasing rates of co-morbidities among people with HIV.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1684118224002093HIV and AIDSTaiwanEpidemiologyDiagnosisTreatmentPrevention |
| spellingShingle | Sung-Hsi Huang Hsun-Yin Huang Stephane Wen-Wei Ku Po-Hsien Kuo Kuan-Yin Lin Guan-Jhou Chen Chia-Chi Lee Yen-Fang Huang Chien-Ching Hung Forty years of HIV infection and AIDS in Taiwan: Reflection on the past and looking toward the future Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection HIV and AIDS Taiwan Epidemiology Diagnosis Treatment Prevention |
| title | Forty years of HIV infection and AIDS in Taiwan: Reflection on the past and looking toward the future |
| title_full | Forty years of HIV infection and AIDS in Taiwan: Reflection on the past and looking toward the future |
| title_fullStr | Forty years of HIV infection and AIDS in Taiwan: Reflection on the past and looking toward the future |
| title_full_unstemmed | Forty years of HIV infection and AIDS in Taiwan: Reflection on the past and looking toward the future |
| title_short | Forty years of HIV infection and AIDS in Taiwan: Reflection on the past and looking toward the future |
| title_sort | forty years of hiv infection and aids in taiwan reflection on the past and looking toward the future |
| topic | HIV and AIDS Taiwan Epidemiology Diagnosis Treatment Prevention |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1684118224002093 |
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