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The Department of Health?s Centers for Disease Control confirmed April 9 that a 36-year-old man in Taipei County?s Wugu Township had contracted the Category 2 contagion hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Lin Kuo-ning, head of the Taipei County Public Health Bureau?s Disease Control Division, said the man first experienced nosebleeds and coughing March 8 and went to the emergency room March 18 with a high fever. Fortunately the doctor realized the symptoms were unusual and immediately hospitalized the patient. Upon complete recovery he was released March 26, and blood tests showed his was the first confirmed case of hantavirus hemorrhagic fever since 2009. Although none of the man?s family members living with him showed any symptoms, blood samples were taken and health workers set rodent traps in the man?s home and work place to try to locate the source of the virus. The Public Health Bureau will coordinate with the Environmental Protection Bureau to eradicate rats in the area. Lin said HFRS is carried by rodents, most commonly in Taiwan the Tanezumi rat and Brown rat. It spreads to humans when they breathe in the virus or come in contact with rat secretions or saliva infected with it. It has an incubation period of two to four weeks. If treatment is not received in the first twenty days, after the patient?s fever subsides they may go into shock and die from sudden hypotension and hemorrhaging. If the disease is identified early, however, the death rate is not high. CDC officials said hantavirus is not normally transmitted among humans, with only one case of human transmission of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome known to have occurred in Argentina. According to CDC statistics, from 1997 to 2007, 382 cases of possible HFRS were reported in Taiwan, with nine cases verified. Two cases of HPS out of 115 reported cases were confirmed in that time. Wugu Township chief Chang Dang-mu said April 10 that he was unaware that a Wugu resident had contracted hantavirus, but immediately called on the township health office and cleaning squad to coordinate sanitation of the whole area. (THN)
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The Department of Health?s Centers for Disease Control confirmed April 9 that a 36-year-old man in Taipei County?s Wugu Township had contracted the Category 2 contagion hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Lin Kuo-ning, head of the Taipei County Public Health Bureau?s Disease Control Division, said the man first experienced nosebleeds and coughing March 8 and went to the emergency room March 18 with a high fever. Fortunately the doctor realized the symptoms were unusual and immediately hospitalized the patient. Upon complete recovery he was released March 26, and blood tests showed his was the first confirmed case of hantavirus hemorrhagic fever since 2009. Although none of the man?s family members living with him showed any symptoms, blood samples were taken and health workers set rodent traps in the man?s home and work place to try to locate the source of the virus. The Public Health Bureau will coordinate with the Environmental Protection Bureau to eradicate rats in the area. Lin said HFRS is carried by rodents, most commonly in Taiwan the Tanezumi rat and Brown rat. It spreads to humans when they breathe in the virus or come in contact with rat secretions or saliva infected with it. It has an incubation period of two to four weeks. If treatment is not received in the first twenty days, after the patient?s fever subsides they may go into shock and die from sudden hypotension and hemorrhaging. If the disease is identified early, however, the death rate is not high. CDC officials said hantavirus is not normally transmitted among humans, with only one case of human transmission of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome known to have occurred in Argentina. According to CDC statistics, from 1997 to 2007, 382 cases of possible HFRS were reported in Taiwan, with nine cases verified. Two cases of HPS out of 115 reported cases were confirmed in that time. Wugu Township chief Chang Dang-mu said April 10 that he was unaware that a Wugu resident had contracted hantavirus, but immediately called on the township health office and cleaning squad to coordinate sanitation of the whole area. (THN) -
Re: Taiwan: One case of HFRS
Archive Number 20100412.1187
Published Date 12-APR-2010
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Hantavirus infection - Taiwan
HANTAVIRUS INFECTION - TAIWAN
*******************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Mon 12 Apr 2010
Source: Taiwan Today [edited]
<http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=98284&ctNode=413>
The Department of Health's Centers for Disease Control confirmed 9
Apr [2010] that a 36-year-old man in Taipei County's Wugu Township
had contracted the Category 2 contagion hantavirus hemorrhagic fever
with renal syndrome.
Lin Kuo-ning, head of the Taipei County Public Health Bureau's
Disease Control Division, said the man first experienced nosebleeds
and coughing on 8 Mar 2010 and went to the emergency room on 18 Mar
2010 with a high fever. Fortunately, the doctor realized the symptoms
were unusual and immediately hospitalized the patient. Upon complete
recovery, he was released on 26 Mar 2010, and blood tests showed his
was the 1st confirmed case of hantavirus hemorrhagic fever since 2009.
Although none of the man's family members living with him showed any
symptoms, blood samples were taken, and health workers set rodent
traps in the man's home and workplace to try to locate the source of
the virus. The Public Health Bureau will coordinate with the
Environmental Protection Bureau to eradicate rats in the area.
Lin said HFRS is carried by rodents, most commonly in Taiwan by the
tanezumi rat and Brown rat. It spreads to humans when they breathe in
the virus or come in contact with rat secretions or saliva infected
with it. It has an incubation period of 2-4 weeks.
If treatment is not received in the 1st 20 days, after the patient's
fever subsides, they may go into shock and die from sudden
hypotension and hemorrhaging. If the disease is identified early,
however, the death rate is not high.
CDC officials said hantaviruses are not normally transmitted among
humans, with only one case of human transmission of hantavirus
pulmonary syndrome known to have occurred in Argentina. [This
statement is not correct. Andes hantavirus has been transmitted
between people occasionally, mainly in Chile. - Mod. TY]
According to CDC statistics, from 1997 to 2007, 382 cases of possible
HFRS were reported in Taiwan, with 9 cases verified. Two cases of HPS
out of 115 reported cases were confirmed in that time.
Wugu Township chief Chang Dang-mu said on 10 Apr 2010 that he was
unaware that a Wugu resident had contracted hantavirus but
immediately called on the township health office and cleaning squad
to coordinate sanitation of the whole area.
--
Communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[This article does not specify the hantavirus involved in this case.
It is probable that the patient was infected by one of 2 hantaviruses
commonly found in East Asia, Hantaan virus and Seoul virus. In ProMED
archive no. 20001126.2056, Mod.CP commented that there are 2 common
hantaviruses that cause HFRS in East Asia (China), which are regarded
as distinct virus species, Hantaan virus and Seoul virus. Hantaan
virus has several (up to 5 now according to the article cited)
subtypes and is transmitted by the field mouse _Apodemus agrarius_,
whereas Seoul virus is less variable and is transmitted by the rat
_Rattus norvegicus_. A 3rd hantavirus that causes HFRS, Muju virus,
has been reported from the Korean peninsula.
An image of the tanezumi rat (_Rattus tanezumi_) can be accessed at
<http://www.siamensis.org/images/webboard_images/TravelPics_reply_82973.jpg>
and a brown rat (_Rattus norvegicus_) at
<http://www.naturfoto-cz.de/photos/andera/brown-rat-3789.jpg>.
A HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map showing the location of
Taiwan can be accessed at
<http://healthmap.org/promed/en?v=36.5,103.9,4>. - Mod.TY] -
Re: Taiwan: One case of HFRS
HANTAVIRUS INFECTION - TAIWAN (02), CONFIRMED
***********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Tue 13 Apr 2010
From: Jen-Hsiang Chuang <jhchuang@cdc.gov.tw> [edited]
The case of hantavirus infection in Taiwan mentioned in ProMED post
no. 20100412.1187 was infected by Seoul virus.
--
Jen-Hsiang Chuang, MD, PhD
Director, Epidemic Intelligence Center
Centers for Disease Control Taiwan
<jhchuang@cdc.gov.tw>
[ProMED thanks Dr. Jen-Hsiang Chuang for sending confirmation that
the recent hantavirus infection in Taiwan reported on 12 Apr 2010 was
due to Seoul virus. These firsthand reports are especially valuable.
A HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map showing the location of
Taiwan can be accessed at
<http://healthmap.org/promed/en?v=36.5,103.9,4>. - Mod.TY]Comment
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