The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced yesterday that an elderly man with underlying health conditions died in mid-January, eight days after developing symptoms, making him the first hantavirus death in Taiwan this year.

The man, a man in his 70s living in Taipei’s Da’an District, died on January 13 of sepsis complicated by multiple organ failure and pneumonia, and tested positive for hantavirus post-mortem, the CDC announced in a press release.

According to the CDC, the man was treated for respiratory illness and low blood pressure on January 6, but two days later he came to the hospital complaining of gastrointestinal symptoms and a fever, and was admitted to the intensive care unit shortly thereafter.

Photo: Zhang Zhongyi, Taipei Times

According to the CDC, this case is the first confirmed hantavirus infection in Taiwan this year, and this number matches the zero-to-one cases typically recorded during the same period over the past four years (2022-2025), bringing the total number of hantavirus infections in Taiwan since 2017 to 44.

Following the fatal accident, local authorities conducted tests near the man’s residence, and two of the four samples taken tested positive for hantavirus.

To reduce the risk of infection, the Taipei City Government’s environmental team carried out disinfection within a 200-meter radius of the man’s residence and deployed special rat poison to eliminate potential viral vectors.

According to the CDC, humans can become infected with zoonotic diseases by inhaling or touching dust or objects contaminated with rodent waste, such as feces, urine, or saliva, or by being bitten by an infected animal.