Local governments are encouraged to establish a collaborative task force for rodent control, but a rodent-borne disease (hantavirus) prevention command post will not be stood up yet, barring unforeseen escalation, Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed on Saturday that a man in his 70s living in New Taipei City tested positive for hantavirus in March, the second local case this year.
The victim, who has a medical history of diabetes, experienced fever, chills, sore throat, muscle soreness, reduced urine output, diarrhea and loss of appetite in mid-March, and was transported for treatment.
Photo courtesy of a member of the public
The man was diagnosed with hantavirus and hospitalized until March 30, it said, adding that he reported no direct contact with rats and inspection near his home failed to trap any rats either, so the source of infection remains unclear.
The first case this year was reported in January. The victim was a man in his 70s who lived in Taipei’s Daan District (大安), who died of sepsis complicated by multiple organ failure and pneumonia eight days after the onset of symptoms.
Following his death, authorities inspected the man’s home, and two of four rats captured tested positive for hantavirus.
Shih yesterday said the ministry encourages local governments to establish a cross-departmental task force, using response teams for dengue outbreaks in southern Taiwan as a reference.
If the local task forces need assistance from the CDC or the Ministry of Environment, they are happy to help and provide professional guidance, he said, adding that Taipei and New Taipei City have both conducted contact tracing on the cases.
If everyone does their part and stops the virus transmission at the source, people should not worry overmuch, and the CDC remains in contact with the local task forces, he added.
When asked if a central command center for hantavirus would be set up, Shih said the outbreak has not escalated, so there is no need to establish a center at this time, but local authorities should take action to address the rodent issues now, rather than wait until the situation gets worse.
The CDC added it only received reports of the two hantavirus cases so far this year, a figure consistent with the same number as the same period in each of the past four years.
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