Taiwan reports 2nd hantavirus case of the year
The Taiwan CDC reported one new case of Hantavirus syndrome in the country last week, which is the second confirmed case this year.
The case is a male in his 20s from the north. He had no history of overseas travel during the incubation period. His activities were mainly around his workplace and home, and he reported that there were no traces of rodents.
On February 15, he developed symptoms such as fever, headache, loss of appetite and diarrhea. On February 16, he went to the emergency room and was hospitalized. After being informed by the hospital, he was diagnosed on March 7 and has now returned home to recuperate.
His family members living with him had no suspected symptoms and were sampled and sent for testing. The health unit has conducted various investigations and health education and prevention work, and the environmental protection unit has gone to the area around the case to carry out environmental disinfection and rat catching operations to clarify the possible source of infection.
According to statistics from the CDC, there have been a total of 2 cases in the country this year, and the number of cases is equivalent to 1-2 cases in the same period of the past 4 years (2021-2024). Last year (2024), there were a total of 3 confirmed cases of Hantavirus syndrome, namely Taichung City, Changhua County and Kaohsiung City (1 case each).
Hantavirus: An interview with Dr Paul Ettestad
The CDC stated that Hantavirus syndrome is a zoonotic infectious disease, and its natural hosts are rodents such as rats. Humans are at risk of infection if they inhale or come into contact with dust or objects contaminated with rodent excrement or secretions (including feces, urine, and saliva) carrying hantavirus, or are bitten by rodents carrying the virus.
The CDC urges that the most effective way to prevent Hantavirus is to implement the policy of "not allowing rats to come, not allowing rats to live, and not allowing rats to eat." Citizens should pay attention to possible routes for rats to invade the environment. Kitchen waste or animal feed at home should be properly disposed of, and the environment should be cleaned up at all times. Fire lanes, drainage facilities (sewers, manhole covers), debris piles, and walls are hot spots for rat populations. Please strengthen rat catching and extermination work in these specific environments. If rodent excrement is found, you should first wear a mask and rubber gloves, open the doors and windows, and sprinkle diluted bleach (100cc commercial bleach + 1 liter of clean water) on the potentially contaminated environment, and wait for 30 minutes for the disinfection to take effect before cleaning. To prevent the virus from flying in the air and spreading, please use disposable paper towels, rags or old newspapers to clean the area, then seal it in a garbage bag and discard it.