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If you’re queasy about rats, take a deep breath before you listen to this next story. Rats are being spotted out in the open in Taipei’s Da’an District, after a man in his 70s living in the area died from hantavirus. What’s worse is that rats caught near his residence turned out to have hantavirus antibodies, meaning they had been infected with the disease previously. Earlier this week, a member of the public who often passes by the area, posted a video of rats digging through a bag of trash in the alleyways. On Wednesday, our reporter inspected the location and found that there were indeed lots of rats out in the open. Taipei City authorities say they will ramp up sanitation measures.

A bag of trash is spotted on the middle of the alley. Rats are digging through it like an open-air buffet, quite an unsettling sight to behold.

Chou Jung-hsuan
FTV reporter
The rats in the video were right here in the alleyways of Taipei’s East District. Look down and you’ll see that the sewers here aren’t covered. Look around and you’ll see that many local residents have lots of clutter at the entrance of their homes. This is probably why there are so many rats here.

Member of public
Took the video
Someone comes here to pick up recyclables. There may be food scraps and whatnot. A few days ago when I passed by—we often ride our scooter through here—there was a bag of trash in the middle of the street, and a cluster of rats were munching on food scraps there and then.

We’re now at the same place where the video was shot, and rat squeaks are incessant. Some even pop out to say hi.

Recently, a man in his 70s living in Taipei’s Da’an District died from a hantavirus infection. Two rats captured near his residence tested positive for hantavirus. The city government had the area disinfected on Wednesday morning.

Wen Chih-hsiung
Jian’an Bourough chief
I asked the sanitation team to make it clear to residents that it’s prohibited to leave trash on the ground, and to encourage residents to use large plastic bins.

Chi Chia-cheng
Da’an District sanitation team
Our team at Da’an District regularly sprays disinfectant and deploys rat poison, as well as make sure the area is clean. Of course we also clean every day.

Rat poison had already been placed all over the alleyways, but there are still rats out and about. Hantavirusus are transmitted through aerosols and droplets that contain secretions from infected rats, so it’s important not to get too close to rats.

Voice of Yu Tsan-hua
Taipei City Department of Health
Rats captured in the area where the infected person was active had already been sent to the Centers for Disease Control to be tested. Relevant authorities will also continue to monitor and disinfect the area.

Taipei authorities are cleaning and disinfecting more frequently to prevent a hantavirus outbreak, especially as Lunar New Year draws closer.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#publichealth #sanitation #cleaning #hantavirus #rats

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