00:01These rats are roaming wild in broad daylight at this busy Taipei market.
00:06Residents in surrounding neighborhoods say the local rat population has grown recently.
00:12Holes dug by rats can be seen all over this nearby park.
00:15And some say people feeding birds here are making it worse.
00:32The escalating rat problem comes as northern Taiwan becomes ever more wary of Hantar virus,
00:38a rodent-borne disease that has hospitalized one person and killed another, both in their 70s.
00:44Officials from both Taipei and New Taipei say they're working to stop the virus from spreading
00:49through measures like laying out poison and disinfecting gutters.
01:15Doctors warn that while Hantar virus cannot pass between humans,
01:19it lingers in places where virus-carrying rodents have been.
01:23The latest case of Hantar virus is one example,
01:26as it's still unclear how the man contracted the virus without encountering a rat.
01:44But some animal protection groups are worried about how poison on the streets
01:49could impact pets and other wildlife.
02:13Activists say keeping food scraps sealed in containers,
02:16sealing up halls and buildings, and using population-controlled drugs are more effective.
02:22But for now, the government's cleanup efforts continue,
02:25as it searches for a balance between public health and environmental safety.
02:30Alex Chen and Irene Lin for Taiwan Plus.
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