Even as the sword of the coronavirus still hangs on our heads, there are reports of another microbe in the media, this time again, from China. This one is called Hantavirus.
“A person from Yunnan Province died while on his way back to Shandong Province for work on a chartered bus on Monday. He was tested positive for #hantavirus. Other 32 people on the bus were tested,” said a tweet in China’s Global Times newspaper.
What is Hantavirus?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hantaviruses are a family of viruses spread mainly by rodents and can cause varied disease syndromes in people worldwide.
Infection with hantaviruses can cause Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) in Europe and Asia, where the ‘old world’ strain is found, and the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) in the US, where the ‘new world’ strain is found, according to the CDC.
How does it get transmitted?
Cases of human hantavirus infection occur sporadically, usually in rural areas where forests, fields, and farms offer a suitable habitat for the virus’s rodent hosts. Areas around the home or work where rodents may co-habit such as houses, barns, outbuildings and sheds are potential sites for exposure.
The rodents shed the virus in their urine, droppings, and saliva and are mainly transmitted to people when they breathe in air contaminated with the virus.
What are the symptoms?
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Muscle aches – thighs, hips, back, and sometimes shoulders
- Headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems.
What is the treatment?
- Early identification
Hantavirus vs Coronavirus
Both have the same symptms but hantavirus is not as fatal as coronavirus
