CDC makes HIV warning after Taipei knife attack

Taipei, Dec. 20 (CNA) People injured or exposed to blood in Friday's mass stabbing near MRT Zhongshan Station are advised to call the CDC's toll-free hotline at 1922 within 72 hours, as a wounded victim is HIV-positive, a health official said Saturday.

The injured individual has been on long-term medication to keep the virus under control and is considered at low risk of transmitting the disease, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director-General Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said at a press conference.

However, although the individual has nearly undetectable levels of HIV, the risk of infection is not entirely negligible, Lo said.

People may have come into contact with the individual's blood via the knife or through mucous membranes, including if blood entered their eyes, he added.

Preventive medication administered within 72 hours of exposure can effectively reduce the risk of infection to nearly zero, Lo said.

Lo said that the CDC will cover the cost of preventive medication if an individual requires it as part of a special program, under which recipients will be monitored for three months, with tests from the fourth to sixth week and the twelfth week, until their final test confirms a negative result.

The mass stabbing was carried out by 27-year-old suspect Chang Wen (張文) at around 6:37 p.m. Friday, following a similar attack by him at MRT Taipei Main Station, where he also set off smoke grenades, according to police.

As of 3:20 p.m. Saturday, the attacks had left three people dead and 11 injured, including two in intensive care and three hospitalized in wards.

Chang fell from the roof of Eslite Spectrum Nanxi while being pursued by police and was later pronounced dead.