Central Taiwan School Bus Driver Linked to HIV Infections in 5 Cases Across 3 Counties; Girlfriend Among Victims

Central News Agency, Taipei, June 13

A school bus driver in central Taiwan, infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), is suspected of violating sexual autonomy. As of today, health authorities from three counties report five confirmed HIV cases, one of whom is the driver’s girlfriend. The local prosecutor’s office handling the investigation remains low-key and has declined to comment on the details.

A health bureau official told reporters from the Central News Agency this afternoon that epidemiological investigations (epi-investigations) have revealed the transmission chain spans three counties. The case has been reported to central authorities and referred to the district prosecutor’s office, which has also been requested to assist in the epidemiological investigation. Details of the case will be uniformly explained by central authorities. Another county’s health bureau stated that one of the confirmed cases is the driver’s girlfriend, not a student who rode the school bus, and she is currently receiving stable antiretroviral treatment.

AIDS Mini Encyclopedia

CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui told media outlets that at the end of last year, a local health bureau in central Taiwan received a notification of an HIV-positive case. During contact tracing, officials carefully noticed that different confirmed cases’ contacts all pointed to the same individual. During the investigation, suspicions of sexual assault arose, prompting the health authority to proactively report the case to social services, police, and prosecutorial agencies. To date, five HIV infections have been confirmed as related to this case.

According to the CDC’s official website, HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), commonly known as the AIDS virus, weakens the human immune system, making individuals more susceptible to opportunistic infections or tumors. There is currently no cure, but with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), also known as cocktail therapy, the virus can be effectively suppressed to undetectable levels. After consistent use of HAART, patients can maintain normal health and, when the viral load is undetectable, are virtually unable to transmit the virus through sexual contact (U=U, Undetectable = Untransmittable). (Editor: Li Ming-tsung) 1150613