Basics

Hepatitis

Dengue Fever

SARS

STD's (Sexually Transmitted Diseases)

STD Quick Facts

Chlamydia

Genital Warts

Gonorrhea

Herpes

Syphilis

HIV/AIDS

Basics

NOTE: If you are foreigner tested in Taiwan and found to be infected with HIV/AIDS, you will be deported.

Taiwan is a developed country and except for remote mountainous areas, there are basically no life-threatening diseases that aren't curable, similar to the US, Canada and other Western countries.

Diarrhoea may be caused by local foods or lack of thorough cleaning of cooking utensils, etc., but rarely is that the case here. Usually, if you are living in a new country your body will take time ot adjust to the new environment. Stick to rice and bananas for a few days until you are acclimated. Also, try not to go from a super-airconditioned room/classroom to a hot exterior if you can help it, as you will likely suffer a cold or flu the first few weeks you arrive in Taiwan if you are not used to the smoggy, hot & muggy heat of the summers, etc...

Use your judgement when eating outside, try to find crowded food stalls and restaurants as the food will be fresher and won't have time to sit around in the heat. Also, wash your hands daily!

Hepatitis

Hepatitis is an infectious viral disease, in several forms, that damages the liver.

Hepatitus A-

Not a serious problem in Taiwan.

Spread by contaminated food, water, cooking utensils...

(Use disposable chopsticks)

Havrix is a good treatment for Hep A (expensive but more than 10 yrs immunity after 1st injection and booster at 6-12 months. 3 wks to provide initial protection from 1st injection)

Hepatitis B-

Serious public health problem in Taiwan.

Sexual intercourse, needles (dirty drugs & accupuncture), blood transfusions or mother to infant (same contraction as HIV)

Long-term residents should be vaccinated.

3 injections over 3 weeks, booster at 12 months

NOTE:  You must have had no exposure prior to initial injection...need blood test prior to receiving any vaccination

Once you're infected with the virus, you will carry it for life (vaccine will be useless)

Hepatitis Non-A, Non -B, C-E

Various different strains discovered - but are RARE

Symptoms for all strains

Fever

Loss of appetite

Nausea

Depression

Total lack of energy

pain in liver area

Skin and whites of eyes turn yellow

Urine deep orange

CURE

No cure/drugs - only rest, proper nutrition

Hep A- complete recovery the standard

Hep B- recovery, but may lead to liver cancer later in life

Vaccine is good idea, but again, up to you...

Dengue Fever

aka - Breakbone Fever  ('pain bone heat' in Chinese)

Thought to have been eradicated, it crops up from time to time during the summer months. Most likely brought to Taiwan from travelers abroad, it is transmitted by mosquito bites.

Aching sensation of extreme aching in the legs and joints at beginning.

3-4 days later the symptoms subside then rapidly return.

3 wks for recovery

No effective medicine (aspirin helps, and rest...)

Not fatal in adults, but very bad for children under 10 and infants

Use mosquito nets  or repellent (coils and incense aren't good for your lungs and will cause other problems...)

Note: After you have the disease you will be immune for up to a year.

SARS

Taiwan Government SARS watch & info.

http://sars.doh.gov.tw/

W.H.O.

(World Health Organization -leading health organization worldwide)

http://www.who.int/csr/sars/areas/en/

A new disease, SARS is currently non-existent in Taiwan and was declared eradicated by the W.H.O. on June 12th, 2003. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome originated in mainland China and was spread by travelers to other areas around the world. It is caused by a corona virus that is transmitted between humans through airborne infection, droplets and stool ('shit.')

This is a previously unknown respiratory disease which affects both old and young alike. Thought to have been contracted from infected poultry in Hong Kong/Mainland China, this disease swept through parts of East Asia like a wildfire in the Winter/Spring of 2003 (it prefers the cold.) Although it is completely irradicated in all parts of the world currently, it is widely beleived that it will make some form of resurgence in the Winter of 2003/4.

There is no evidence from the W.H.O that a person without SARS symptoms may infect others thus vigorous symptom checkposts have been set up at all international airports in Taiwan as well as at other areas around the island as a precaution. Unless you have had direct contact with the respiratory secretions or body fluids of someone with the disease, taken care of a person with the disease, or lived with someone who has contracted the disease then you should be safe. The virus can also survive on glass, plastic or metal surfaces for up to 3 days and thorough hand washing and avoidance of affected areas is recommended.

STD Quick Facts

NOTE: If you are tested in Taiwan and are infected with HIV/AIDS, you will be deported

1) Today, Japan leads the world in condom use. Like cosmetics,they are sold door to door, by women.

2) The shelf-life for a latex condom is about two years.

3) Over 60% of all AIDS victims worldwide currently live in Africa.

4) However, more than 10 percent of all people are currently infected with HIV in some regions of Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

5) There are over 20 known STD's.

6) Pubic crab lice can survive only 24 hours after leaving the body, although their eggs can survive for 6 days.

Chlamydia

 
Slang: "The Clam", "Gooey Stuff"

DEFINITION
Chlarnydia is the most conu-non bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the country. It is caused by a bacterium known as Chlamydia Trachomatis and is often without symptoms. Chlamydia is frequently diagnosed in teenagers and young adults.

Chlamydia is transmitted mainly during vaginal or anal sex (unlikely, but possible, during oral sex) Chlamydia is especially dangerous because in women it very often has no symptoms, but if left untreated, it can leave a woman infertile. The disease can cause scarring of the fallopian tubes, sterility, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, or chronic pelvic pain. Burning during urination or an unusual discharge may be the only symptoms. Men with chlamydia usually do experience this burning. It is important that infected men inform all of their recent partners. Chlamydia is easily treated with antibiotics. 

SYMPTOMS:
MALES: Infected men commonly have no symptoms; if symptoms are present, there is often a watery or milky discharge from the penis and a burning sensation upon urination.
FEMALES: Infected women commonly show no symptoms; if symptoms are present, there is most often vaginal discharge and/or bleeding; low abdominal pain and painful urination.
MALE/FEMALE: Rectal: Pain, itching and discharge with blood or pus.

TREATMENT:
Curable with antibiotic therapy. If not treated can cause serious health problems.

Genital Warts (HPV)

The human papillomavirus virus (HPV) causes genital warts, which come in several shapes and sizes. Some look like common warts you might get on your hand or foot; some are as small as a pinhead; some are flat. Genital warts are very common and are spread through skin-to-skin contact. If you or your sexual partner have warts that are visible in the genital area, you should avoid any sexual contact until the warts are treated. Unfortunately for women, warts may be so small they can't be seen, or they may infect the cervix or vaginal walls, making them almost impossible to detect without a doctor. If left untreated, HPV can cause cervical cancer. In men, warts usually appear as bumps on the penis head or shaft, or on the scrotum and can itch. Women may also notice bumps on their labia. Genital warts are a viral infection, so they can come back after the initial treatment.

NOTE: See some suspicious bumps down there? Soak them in vinegar for a few minutes. If they turn white, they are probably warts; if they don't react, you should still get them checked out by a doctor right away, just to be sure.

Gonorrhea

 
Slang: "dose", "clap", "drip"

DEFINITION:
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease that is most common in people ages 15 to 30; many of those infected with gonorrhea also have chlamydia. Gonorrhea is caused by a bacterium known as Neisseria gonorrheae.

Women may have mild or confusing symptoms, or no symptoms at all. Pain in the lower abdomen, unusual discharge, or a urinary tract infection might be the only tip-offs. We must stress that any pain or unusual symptoms involving your reproductive organs should be checked by a doctor--don't wait until it becomes serious. Men might notice a thick discharge from their penises and feel burning during urination. Gonorrhea can infect the throat and be spread through oral-genital contact. It can cause sterility, arthritis, heart problems, and disorders of the central nervous system. In women, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, which can lead to ectopic pregnancies, or the formation of abscesses. It is treated with antibiotics.

SYMPTOMS:
MALES: Most infected men have symptoms, which can include a milky discharge from the penis and burning sensation upon urination.
FEMALES: Most women have no symptoms; if symptoms are present, there is often a vaginal discharge and/or painful urination.
MALE/FEMALE: Rectal: itching, pain and discharge with blood or pus. Oral: sore Throat, swollen glands.

TREATMENT:
Curable with antibiotic therapy. If not treated can cause serious health problems.

Herpes

Herpes are a viral infection generally transmitted through sex, but it can also be transmitted through oral-genital contact. Symptoms in men and women include an itching or burning in the genital area, followed within a day or so by the appearance of painful sores on the genitals. Urination may be painful. The sores, during an initial outbreak, can last for a couple weeks. Although nothing can cure herpes, there are effective medications that can reduce the frequency and severity of the outbreaks. With medication and proper diet and exercise, it is possible to go for years without an outbreak. How Common? 45 million Americans are currently infected and there are some 1 million new cases a year. 

NOTE: You can now order herpes medication online. You can buy Acyclovir and Valtrex from an online pharmacy.

You can compare prices at www.Pharmacy-Finder.net

A trial vaccine has been found to reduce chances of getting gential herpes by 75%. The only catch to this as-yet-unavailable cure is that it only works for women who don't get cold sores...

Genital herpes now affects 1 in 4 women and 1 in 5 men in the US. A recent study found that using condoms regularly can reduce a woman's chance of getting gential herpes from an infected man by 75%. Forgo oral sex if either one of you has a cold sore-- the oral strain can cause the genital variety as well.

Syphilis

 
Slang: "Pox", "Bad Blood"

DEFINITION:
A sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacterium known as Treponema pallidum that may be transmitted sexually for from mother to child before or at the time of birth (congenital syphilis).

Syphilis causes rashes and sores on the genitals and elsewhere, and can be transmitted through contact with these rashes or through sexual contact. The symptoms of syphilis go through four stages as the bacteria that cause it spread and develop in the body. In the first stage, a chancre (a circular, painless and firm sore) might appear on the genitals anywhere from 9 to 90 days after infection. It can also appear elsewhere in the body. During the second stage, which occurs weeks to months after infection, rashes on the body may develop then disappear; joints may ache; fever and headache might occur. Rashes indicate that the microbes have traveled through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to every tissue and organ in the body. This can go on for years. Late in the progress of the disease there are no outward symptoms. In the end, syphilis can cause blindness, madness, and death. It can be treated at any time with antibiotics. How Common? Nearly 40,000 new cases were counted last year. Help: CDC National STD Hotline, 800-227-8922.

SYMPTOMS:
PRIMARY STAGE: Small painless sore where organism enters the body (genital, oral or rectal); in women the sore may be internal and go unnoticed.
SECONDARY STAGE: Rash that can involve the palms and soles of the feet; swollen lymph glands, fever, and painless sores often found in the mouth.
LATENT STAGE: Patient does not have symptoms-stage could last for years.
LATE STAGE: If left untreated can cause damage to the brain, or heart, blindness and/ or death.

TREATMENT:
Can be cured with antibiotic therapy.

HIV and AIDS

NOTE: If you get tested in Taiwan and are found to be infected with HIV/AIDS, you will be deported.

HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS
Slang: "Has the Package", "HI-v".

DEFINITION:
A viral disease that can be transmitted sexually; from an infected mother to her infant before or at the time of birth; or through direct exposure to blood, blood products or breast milk. HIV infection causes progressive damage to the immune system resulting in the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

SYMPTOMS:
Usually none for several years after HIV infection, although some people develop flu-like symptoms and a rash shortly after becoming infected.

TREATMENT:
No known cure-Antiretroviral therapy can delay development of the disease and greatly decrease the chances of transmission from an infected mother to her infant.

AIDS is an incurable viral infection that doctors think is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It can be transmitted only through the exchange of bodily fluids such as blood, semen, and vaginal secretions. The disease is ultimately fatal, yet more and more people are living for years with HIV and not becoming ill. They are, however, infectious. HIV antibodies usually appear in the bloodstream three to eight weeks after infection, though it may take up to six months for them to show. How Common? HIV now infects less than one million people in the United States, but close to 34 million people worldwide. Of the nearly 6 million new cases expected this year, only 40,000 will occur in the U.S. Help: CDC AIDS Hotline, 800-342-AIDS.

NOTE: Get Tested: If you don't want to deal with going to a clinic, buy a test online... it comes in a discreet box.

Preliminary research conducted by the UT Medical Branch in Galveston found that 3 vaginal lubricants- Astroglide, Silken Secret, and Vagisil Intimate Moisturizer- significantly reduce the number of HIV-infected cells and free-floating HIV in samples of infected semen. The lubes manage to do this in less than five minutes and continue to fight HIV for eight hours. And since lubricant helps keep a condom from breaking, you have all the more reason to use it!

A new test that's currently on the market can determine in a mere 20 minutes if you have the virus that causes AIDS, thereby eliminating both the long wait and the necessity of a follow-up appointment to find out your status. If the results from this test, known as OraQuick, turn out to be positivie, they must be confirmed by an additional test.