Online rumors about hantavirus infections transmitted between humans are misleading, the Kaohsiung City Government Department of Health said, calling on the public to stop spreading incorrect information and properly prevent the spread of the disease by keeping living areas free of rats.
Following three cases of hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) being reported in Kaohsiung’s Lingya District (苓雅) this year, the department said that there have been online rumors that an infection control worker caught the disease while performing their duties and that someone died from a hantavirus infection.
The department said the rumors are incorrect and people should stop passing them on to avoid causing panic or breaking the law.
It said that all three of the people who were confirmed to have the disease in Kaohsiung have been cured, so no one has died and that HFRS is caused by hantaviruses, which are carried and transmitted by rodents.
People can become infected with hantaviruses and develop HFRS after exposure to urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents, but transmission from one human to another is extremely rare, the department said.
The incubation period of hantavirus infections is about five to 42 days, and common symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, abdominal pain, lower backache, nausea, vomiting, bleeding and kidney damage, it said.
The department said that spreading false information concerning epidemics can harm the public and people who spread such misinformation may face a fine of up to NT$500,000 according to the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法).
It said that effective prevention measures against the virus include keeping places free of rats, especially restaurants, markets or food manufacturing factories.
If rodent droppings are encountered, the department recommends that people spray them with alcohol or a mixture of household bleach and water — 10 liters of tap water to 10ml of bleach — wait for 30 minutes, then clean them up while wearing a facial mask and rubber gloves.
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
RSS