Taipei man dies of hantavirus, rodents near residence test positiveStaff writer, with CNAAn elderly man with underlying health conditions died in mid-January, eight days after the onset of symptoms, marking Taiwan’s first hantavirus death this year, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The man, who was in his 70s and lived in Taipei’s Daan District (大安), tested positive posthumously for hantavirus after passing away on Jan. 13 from sepsis complicated by multiple organ failure and pneumonia, the CDC said in a press release. A rat and its pups are pictured in an undated photograph. Following the fatality, local authorities conducted a screening near the man’s residence, with two of the four specimens captured testing positive for hantavirus. To mitigate the risk of transmission, Taipei City Government’s environmental teams conducted a disinfection sweep within a 200-meter radius of the man’s residence and deployed specialized rodenticide to eliminate potential viral vectors.

Source: Taipei Times January 30, 2026 21:43 UTC