As abortion rates among teenagers tend to surge after vacations, the department warned students to practice safe sex to prevent pregnancy, and more importantly, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV.

The number of teenagers infected with STDs last year in the city was twice the figure for 2007, the department noted.

In 2008, the youngest case of syphilis infection in Taipei City was just 14, with age 17 as the youngest age for cases of condyloma and AIDS, the department added.

From 2007 to 2008, among the 15-19 age group in the city, the number of AIDS infections went up from one to five, the number of HIV infections increased from five to nine, while syphilis infections increased from 13 to 22 and condyloma infections grew from eight to 17.

More than 77% of the teenagers became infected with STDs via unprotected sex, the department emphasized.

AIDS can be transmitted via blood transfusions, needle-sharing, mother-child transmission but is most commonly trasnmitted through sexual intercourse. AIDS cannot be transmitted aerobically.