Taiwan records 2nd hantavirus case this year: CDC

Taipei, May 2 (CNA) An elderly man with underlying health conditions in New Taipei tested positive for hantavirus in March, Taiwan's second case this year, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said Saturday.

The man, who is in his 70s, was discharged from hospital on March 30 after receiving treatment for fever, muscle aches and gastrointestinal discomfort, she said.

The patient had no known history of contact with rats, and no rodents were trapped near his residence. The source of infection is still under investigation, Tseng said.

Humans can contract the disease by inhaling dust or touching objects contaminated with rodent waste, such as droppings, urine or saliva, or by being bitten by an infected animal, according to the CDC.

Common symptoms 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, she added.

In January, a man in his 70s who lived in Taipei's Da'an District tested positive posthumously for hantavirus after dying eight days earlier from sepsis complicated by multiple organ failure and pneumonia, according to the CDC.

So far this year, Taiwan has recorded two hantavirus cases, a figure consistent with the same period in each of the past four years.