TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan health authorities have launched a two-week buy-one-get-one-free HIV self-testing campaign after newly reported infections among Taiwanese nationals increased during the first seven months of 2026, interrupting — at least for now — a years-long downward trend.
Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control said 537 HIV infections were newly reported through the end of July, compared with 512 during the same period in 2025, an increase of about 5%. Around 80% of the cases involved people aged 44 or younger, while the remaining 20% were among those aged 45 and above. Health authorities said sexual activity without adequate protection remains the principal route of transmission.
The increase comes after Taiwan recorded 879 newly reported HIV infections among Taiwanese nationals in 2025 — a 12% decline from 1,000 cases in 2024 and the lowest annual number since 2004. That makes this year’s early increase notable, although seven months of data alone are not enough to establish that Taiwan’s longer-term decline has definitively reversed.
The Bigger Challenge May Be the People Who Have Never Been Diagnosed
The more consequential figure may not be the 5% year-on-year increase.
Taiwan CDC estimates that about 93% of people living with HIV in the country knew their status in 2025. That leaves roughly 7% — estimated at more than 2,000 people — who could be living with HIV without having been tested or diagnosed.
That testing gap matters because HIV and several other sexually transmitted infections can cause few or no noticeable symptoms during their early stages. Someone can therefore feel healthy while being unaware of an infection, delaying both treatment and measures that could prevent further transmission.
Taiwan is working toward the UNAIDS “95-95-95” targets: 95% of people living with HIV knowing their status, 95% of those diagnosed receiving treatment and 95% of those on treatment achieving viral suppression. Taiwan’s estimated 2025 performance was 93-96-95, meaning identifying people who remain undiagnosed is now one of the most important remaining gaps.
Two HIV Self-Test Kits for NT$245
To encourage more people to test, the CDC launched a special promotion running from September 4 through September 18, 2026, coinciding with World Sexual Health Day.
People ordering through Taiwan CDC’s official HIV self-testing service can choose convenience-store pickup and receive two self-test kits while paying for one kit plus logistics costs, for a total of NT$245.
After taking the test, users who register their result online can also receive an electronic voucher for another free self-test kit, which can be used personally or shared with someone else.
A reactive or positive self-test is not by itself a final HIV diagnosis. Taiwan CDC advises anyone receiving a positive screening result to visit a designated HIV medical institution for confirmatory testing. Registration fees and the required copayment for that visit are eligible for government subsidy under the program.
HIV Isn’t the Only STI Officials Are Watching
The HIV figures come amid a mixed picture for sexually transmitted infections in Taiwan.
Through July, authorities reported 6,116 new syphilis cases, up about 4% from the same period last year, while the 537 HIV infections represented a 5% increase. Gonorrhea moved in the opposite direction, with 3,092 cases, down roughly 15% year on year.
Taiwan had also recorded 27 mpox cases through July, almost unchanged from 28 during the comparable period in 2025.
The government has expanded testing and privacy-focused services in response. Taiwan CDC says 104 medical institutions offer free anonymous rapid HIV testing, while 14 hospitals provide anonymous, personalized STI consultations. An anonymous third-party notification platform for sexual partners was also launched in July 2026, allowing people diagnosed with an STI to alert partners without directly identifying themselves.
Treatment Has Changed What an HIV Diagnosis Means
Health officials are also stressing a message that can easily be lost when case numbers dominate the headlines: modern HIV treatment is highly effective.
When a person living with HIV consistently receives antiretroviral treatment and achieves an undetectable viral load, the virus is not sexually transmitted — a principle known as U=U, or “undetectable equals untransmittable.”
Taiwan CDC recommends that people who have ever been sexually active consider testing for HIV at least once. Those who have had sex without adequate protection are advised to test at least annually, while people with higher exposure risks — including multiple partners, previous STIs or shared injection equipment — are advised to consider testing every three to six months.
The September campaign is being held as part of World Sexual Health Day 2026, whose global theme is “Every Body.” The annual initiative, organized by the World Association for Sexual Health, focuses this year on the principle that sexual health, rights, justice and access to information and care should extend to everyone.
For Taiwan, the message behind the discounted test kits is straightforward: falling annual HIV numbers are encouraging, but they do not eliminate the need for testing — particularly when thousands of infections may still remain undiagnosed.
WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.D
Leave a Reply