TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A man from New Taipei in his seventies was the second person in Taiwan this year to contract hantavirus, reports said Saturday.
The disease spreads through rodent waste or through the bite of infected animals. Unlike the first case in January, the latest patient survived the infection and left hospital on March 30, per CNA.
He had reported no history of having been in contact with rats, and no rodents had been seen in his neighborhood, the authorities said. An investigation into the cause of his infection was still continuing.
During March, he suffered fever, stomach pain, throat ache, and muscle pain. After seeking help at the hospital, tests showed he had contracted hantavirus.
In the wake of the latest case, Health and Welfare Minister Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) called for continued vigilance. Even though there was no sign that hantavirus was spreading, rodents also posed other problems, including for food safety, he said.
Government officials advocated caution in using rat poison, as pets and children might fall victim, while experts also feared the impact on the environment, CNA reported. The city said it preferred natural ways of preventing a rat plague, including the “three noes” of “no food,” “no habitat,” and “no entry.”
