A 40-year-old man is suspected of contracting hantavirus in Keelung after being bitten by a rat while cleaning his workplace on April 7 and developing symptoms including fever, chills and loss of appetite on May 2, the Keelung City Government said today.
The man who was hospitalized for treatment is recovering smoothly and expected to return to his home in New Taipei City soon, the city said.
The man’s workplace in Keelung has undergone thorough disinfection, with ongoing sanitation measures in place, Keelung Health Bureau Director Chang Hsien-cheng (張賢政) said.
Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Department of Health
The rat that passed the infection has been captured, he added.
The man sought treatment after developing symptoms on May 2, Chang said.
The hospital reported the case to central authorities on May 8 and conducted relevant testing, he said, adding that preliminary results received yesterday suggest hantavirus infection.
The man’s workplace would continue sanitation efforts, including setting rat traps and testing captured rodents, while central authorities would oversee and release information from the epidemiological investigation, he said.
Eleven contacts of the man have been identified, none of whom have shown symptoms, the New Taipei City Department of Health said, adding that their health would be monitored until July 1.
The environment around the patient's residence in Linkou District (林口) was thoroughly cleaned and disinfected on Saturday, it added.
Hantavirus is not transmitted between people except in extremely rare cases, and hotspots such as drainage areas and Miaokou Night Market (廟口夜市) stalls have already been disinfected, Keelung Mayor George Hsieh (謝國樑) said, adding that people should not panic and hospitals should remain vigilant.
If people spot rats, they should not try to catch them, but instead call 1999 to notify the relevant rodent control authorities, the mayor said.
The Keelung Bureau of Environmental Protection thoroughly cleaned the area around Miaokou Night Market today and placed rodenticide after spotting rats on site, Hsieh said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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