Taipei City rodent infestation a concern: Doctors warn of infection risk from contact with droppings
The increasing presence of rats in Taipei City is a growing concern among residents, with doctors warning that contact with rat droppings, bites, or contaminated food can lead to infections such as Hantavirus and leptospirosis. Urgent preventative measures are advised.
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- 📰 Published: May 4, 2026 at 16:18
- 🔍 Collected: May 4, 2026 at 16:31 (13 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 4, 2026 at 16:34 (2 min after Collected)
Central News
(Central News Agency reporter Tseng Yi-ning, Taipei, May 4) The public has frequently reported sightings of rats on the streets of Taipei, with some netizens even saying their family members have been bitten by rats. An infectious disease physician reminds that simply touching rat excrement can lead to infection with Hantavirus and Leptospirosis; if food packaging is bitten through by rats, it must be discarded and not consumed.
Taipei citizens are worried about the rodent problem. Recently, some netizens expressed on the social media platform Threads that a family member living in Taipei's Zhongshan District was bitten by a rat while sleeping, and other citizens have created a "Rat Reporting Map," leading to heated discussions about the rodent issue.
Hantavirus
Hantavirus belongs to the Bunyaviridae family. Currently, through gene sequence comparison or serological testing, Hantaviruses can be classified into more than 20 different types, each distributed in different geographical regions and having its unique rodent host.
Transmission routes
Transmission occurs through respiratory inhalation of aerosols from rodent secretions. The virus is present in the urine, feces, and saliva of infected asymptomatic rodents, with high concentrations found in the lungs. Humans can become infected by inhaling or coming into contact with airborne particles or contaminants contaminated with the virus, or by being bitten by virus-carrying rodents.
Symptoms
Hantavirus Hemorrhagic Fever: Fever, thrombocytopenia, and acute kidney failure are the three main clinical manifestations. It usually presents with sudden fever lasting 3 to 8 days, conjunctival congestion, weakness, back pain, headache, abdominal pain, anorexia, vomiting. Hemorrhagic symptoms appear on days 3 to 6 and may progress to acute kidney failure, lasting for several weeks.
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome: Early symptoms include fever, fatigue, and severe muscle pain, accompanied by headache and stomach discomfort. Coughing and shortness of breath usually begin 4 to 10 days after the onset of illness. Once cardiac and pulmonary discomfort symptoms appear, respiratory failure and shock can quickly follow.
Prevention methods
Strengthen rat control. Residential areas and various public places, including restaurants, hotels, snack stalls, markets, and food factories, should strengthen environmental cleaning, drive out rodents from buildings, and take rat prevention measures. Once rat traces are found, rat eradication actions should be launched immediately.
Source: Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Hantavirus can exist in the urine, feces, and saliva of asymptomatic infected rodents, with the highest virus concentration in the lungs; humans can be infected by inhaling or coming into contact with airborne dust or objects contaminated with the virus, or by being bitten or scratched by virus-carrying rodents. Huang Chien-hsien said it can cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, which can lead to respiratory failure in severe cases, with high severity and mortality rates.
Leptospirosis is also one of the most common zoonotic diseases. Infected individuals with severe symptoms may progress to multiple organ failure or death, with a mortality rate of about 5% to 15%; for infected individuals with pulmonary hemorrhage symptoms, the mortality rate can reach 50% to 70%. However, Huang Chien-hsien pointed out that since its pathogen is bacteria, treatment is generally not a problem with proper use of antibiotics.
Huang Chien-hsien said that rats generally do not actively attack people, but they may become aggressive under certain circumstances; for example, he once treated a patient who was bitten by a rat while tidying up during a typhoon, when he was driving away rats avoiding floods, and then contracted leptospirosis and complicated with sepsis, and was admitted to the intensive care unit.
In addition to rats themselves, Huang Chien-hsien stated that if rats carry fleas, they may also transmit diseases such as the Black Death and murine typhus; however, because flea bites are itchy, and flea attacks often occur on the lower legs to thighs, people are more likely to identify them when seeking medical attention.
If suspected rat-bitten food packaging is found at home, Huang Chien-hsien reminds that since bacteria and viruses may exist in rats' mouths, saliva, and fur, their saliva and secretions may have contaminated the food after they bite through the packaging. It is recommended to discard it directly; in addition, if dead animal carcasses are seen, contact should be avoided. (Editor: Wu Su-jou) 1150504
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(Central News Agency reporter Tseng Yi-ning, Taipei, May 4) The public has frequently reported sightings of rats on the streets of Taipei, with some netizens even saying their family members have been bitten by rats. An infectious disease physician reminds that simply touching rat excrement can lead to infection with Hantavirus and Leptospirosis; if food packaging is bitten through by rats, it must be discarded and not consumed.
Taipei citizens are worried about the rodent problem. Recently, some netizens expressed on the social media platform Threads that a family member living in Taipei's Zhongshan District was bitten by a rat while sleeping, and other citizens have created a "Rat Reporting Map," leading to heated discussions about the rodent issue.
Hantavirus
Hantavirus belongs to the Bunyaviridae family. Currently, through gene sequence comparison or serological testing, Hantaviruses can be classified into more than 20 different types, each distributed in different geographical regions and having its unique rodent host.
Transmission routes
Transmission occurs through respiratory inhalation of aerosols from rodent secretions. The virus is present in the urine, feces, and saliva of infected asymptomatic rodents, with high concentrations found in the lungs. Humans can become infected by inhaling or coming into contact with airborne particles or contaminants contaminated with the virus, or by being bitten by virus-carrying rodents.
Symptoms
Hantavirus Hemorrhagic Fever: Fever, thrombocytopenia, and acute kidney failure are the three main clinical manifestations. It usually presents with sudden fever lasting 3 to 8 days, conjunctival congestion, weakness, back pain, headache, abdominal pain, anorexia, vomiting. Hemorrhagic symptoms appear on days 3 to 6 and may progress to acute kidney failure, lasting for several weeks.
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome: Early symptoms include fever, fatigue, and severe muscle pain, accompanied by headache and stomach discomfort. Coughing and shortness of breath usually begin 4 to 10 days after the onset of illness. Once cardiac and pulmonary discomfort symptoms appear, respiratory failure and shock can quickly follow.
Prevention methods
Strengthen rat control. Residential areas and various public places, including restaurants, hotels, snack stalls, markets, and food factories, should strengthen environmental cleaning, drive out rodents from buildings, and take rat prevention measures. Once rat traces are found, rat eradication actions should be launched immediately.
Source: Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Hantavirus can exist in the urine, feces, and saliva of asymptomatic infected rodents, with the highest virus concentration in the lungs; humans can be infected by inhaling or coming into contact with airborne dust or objects contaminated with the virus, or by being bitten or scratched by virus-carrying rodents. Huang Chien-hsien said it can cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, which can lead to respiratory failure in severe cases, with high severity and mortality rates.
Leptospirosis is also one of the most common zoonotic diseases. Infected individuals with severe symptoms may progress to multiple organ failure or death, with a mortality rate of about 5% to 15%; for infected individuals with pulmonary hemorrhage symptoms, the mortality rate can reach 50% to 70%. However, Huang Chien-hsien pointed out that since its pathogen is bacteria, treatment is generally not a problem with proper use of antibiotics.
Huang Chien-hsien said that rats generally do not actively attack people, but they may become aggressive under certain circumstances; for example, he once treated a patient who was bitten by a rat while tidying up during a typhoon, when he was driving away rats avoiding floods, and then contracted leptospirosis and complicated with sepsis, and was admitted to the intensive care unit.
In addition to rats themselves, Huang Chien-hsien stated that if rats carry fleas, they may also transmit diseases such as the Black Death and murine typhus; however, because flea bites are itchy, and flea attacks often occur on the lower legs to thighs, people are more likely to identify them when seeking medical attention.
If suspected rat-bitten food packaging is found at home, Huang Chien-hsien reminds that since bacteria and viruses may exist in rats' mouths, saliva, and fur, their saliva and secretions may have contaminated the food after they bite through the packaging. It is recommended to discard it directly; in addition, if dead animal carcasses are seen, contact should be avoided. (Editor: Wu Su-jou) 1150504
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force for protecting press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.