New taipei: An elderly man with underlying health conditions in New Taipei tested positive for hantavirus in March, marking Taiwan's second case this year, according to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui on Saturday.
According to Focus Taiwan, the man, who is in his 70s, was discharged from the hospital on March 30 after receiving treatment for symptoms including fever, muscle aches, and gastrointestinal discomfort. Tseng noted that the patient had no known history of contact with rats, and no rodents were found near his residence, leaving the source of infection still under investigation.
Humans can contract hantavirus by inhaling dust or touching objects contaminated with rodent waste, such as droppings, urine, or saliva, or by being bitten by an infected animal. Common symptoms of hantavirus include sudden high fever, headache, and severe muscle aches. In severe cases, the illness can lead to fatal lung or kidney failure.
To reduce the risk of transmission, the CDC has instructed health and environmental protection teams in Taipei and New Taipei to strengthen environmental sanitation in areas where the man had been active.
In January, a man in his 70s from Taipei's Da'an District tested positive posthumously for hantavirus after passing away eight days earlier from sepsis complicated by multiple organ failure and pneumonia. So far this year, Taiwan has recorded two hantavirus cases, a figure consistent with the same period over the past four years.