Online Rumors of 18 Hantavirus Cases in Kaohsiung Refuted by Health Bureau: 2 Years with Zero Cases
The Kaohsiung City Health Bureau announced that online rumors claiming 18-20 Hantavirus cases in Kaohsiung are false. Kaohsiung has had zero Hantavirus cases for the past two years, and citizens are urged to refrain from spreading misinformation.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 8, 2026 at 20:21
- 🔍 Collected: May 8, 2026 at 20:32 (10 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 8, 2026 at 21:18 (46 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Lin Qiaolian, Kaohsiung, 8th) Recently, messages circulating online such as "Kaohsiung has 18 to 20 Hantavirus cases, 5 times that of Taipei and New Taipei" have been refuted by the Kaohsiung City Health Bureau today, stating that this content is deliberately fabricated false information. Kaohsiung has had zero cases for two consecutive years, and the public is urged not to easily believe and spread it, so as not to violate the law.
The Health Bureau issued a press release today stating that the recent online rumors of "Kaohsiung having 18 to 20 Hantavirus cases, 5 times that of Taipei and New Taipei" are false information and not released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Centers for Disease Control. Kaohsiung City has continuously strengthened Hantavirus prevention and control measures in recent years, including environmental tidying and disinfection in markets, communities, and high-risk areas, and implementing strategies to cut off the transmission chain through rodent monitoring, rodent prevention facilities, and community mobilization. According to statistics, Kaohsiung has had zero cases for two consecutive years since 2025, and the epidemic shows a downward trend.
The Health Bureau pointed out that according to Article 9 of the "Communicable Disease Control Act," information related to communicable diseases disseminated through the media should be verified by the competent authority; if false rumors are spread and are sufficient to harm the public or others, according to Article 63 of the same law, a maximum of imprisonment for up to 3 years or a fine of up to NT$1 million may be imposed.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai also responded when interviewed by the media this morning, stating that before he took office in 2020, Kaohsiung had 5 Hantavirus cases that year, but there have been no cases in the past two years. Since Hantavirus is mainly transmitted by rodents and not human-to-human, "cutting off the transmission chain" is the key to epidemic prevention.
Chen Chi-mai stated that rodent control is an important issue for public health and environmental hygiene. The city government has adopted both physical and chemical prevention and control methods, and combined with communities and businesses to implement environmental cleaning and disinfection. The Health Bureau held an expert meeting yesterday to review rodent control strategies.
Chen Chi-mai said that in addition to setting up rodent stations and distributing medicines in hot spots where rodents appear, the city government also strengthens environmental hygiene and disinfection in high-risk areas such as markets, restaurants, and food waste disposal sites. In addition, in conjunction with the spring and autumn rodent breeding seasons and the Lunar New Year period, bleaching water spraying and environmental disinfection are strengthened to reduce the virus density in the environment.
The Health Bureau reminded the public that if they receive information related to communicable diseases, they should refer to the official announcements of the Centers for Disease Control or the Health Bureau, and should not forward unverified information, so as not to mislead the public and violate the law. (Editor: Xie Yazu) 1150508
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(Central News Agency reporter Lin Qiaolian, Kaohsiung, 8th) Recently, messages circulating online such as "Kaohsiung has 18 to 20 Hantavirus cases, 5 times that of Taipei and New Taipei" have been refuted by the Kaohsiung City Health Bureau today, stating that this content is deliberately fabricated false information. Kaohsiung has had zero cases for two consecutive years, and the public is urged not to easily believe and spread it, so as not to violate the law.
The Health Bureau issued a press release today stating that the recent online rumors of "Kaohsiung having 18 to 20 Hantavirus cases, 5 times that of Taipei and New Taipei" are false information and not released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Centers for Disease Control. Kaohsiung City has continuously strengthened Hantavirus prevention and control measures in recent years, including environmental tidying and disinfection in markets, communities, and high-risk areas, and implementing strategies to cut off the transmission chain through rodent monitoring, rodent prevention facilities, and community mobilization. According to statistics, Kaohsiung has had zero cases for two consecutive years since 2025, and the epidemic shows a downward trend.
The Health Bureau pointed out that according to Article 9 of the "Communicable Disease Control Act," information related to communicable diseases disseminated through the media should be verified by the competent authority; if false rumors are spread and are sufficient to harm the public or others, according to Article 63 of the same law, a maximum of imprisonment for up to 3 years or a fine of up to NT$1 million may be imposed.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai also responded when interviewed by the media this morning, stating that before he took office in 2020, Kaohsiung had 5 Hantavirus cases that year, but there have been no cases in the past two years. Since Hantavirus is mainly transmitted by rodents and not human-to-human, "cutting off the transmission chain" is the key to epidemic prevention.
Chen Chi-mai stated that rodent control is an important issue for public health and environmental hygiene. The city government has adopted both physical and chemical prevention and control methods, and combined with communities and businesses to implement environmental cleaning and disinfection. The Health Bureau held an expert meeting yesterday to review rodent control strategies.
Chen Chi-mai said that in addition to setting up rodent stations and distributing medicines in hot spots where rodents appear, the city government also strengthens environmental hygiene and disinfection in high-risk areas such as markets, restaurants, and food waste disposal sites. In addition, in conjunction with the spring and autumn rodent breeding seasons and the Lunar New Year period, bleaching water spraying and environmental disinfection are strengthened to reduce the virus density in the environment.
The Health Bureau reminded the public that if they receive information related to communicable diseases, they should refer to the official announcements of the Centers for Disease Control or the Health Bureau, and should not forward unverified information, so as not to mislead the public and violate the law. (Editor: Xie Yazu) 1150508
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and audio-visual content on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.