After corona virus comes Hantavirus

After corona virus comes Hantavirus

Types of diseases spread by the virus found in rodents

Reports of a person having died in China due to a virus called hantavirus spread panic across the globe at a time when the world is battling novel coronavirus pandemic. Hantavirus became one of the top trends on Twitter after a Chinese state media, The Global Times, tweeted about the unfortunate death sending shock waves around the world.

Hantavirus is a family of viruses which are spread mainly by rodents and can cause varied diseases in people.

However, it turns out, hantavirus is not a new virus and has been infecting humans for decades. Nevertheless, people anxious about the novel coronavirus were quick to hit the panic button when they saw the report of the hantavirus-related death in China. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) as a severe, sometimes fatal, respiratory disease caused by infection with hantaviruses. These are a family of viruses which are spread mainly by rodents and can cause varied diseases in people.

Anyone who comes into contact with rodents that carry hantaviruses is at risk of HPS as rodent infestation in and around the home remains the primary risk for hantavirus exposure. The CDC puts the mortality rate of HPS– the disease caused by the North American strains of the virus – as high as 36%. This is much higher than the coronavirus’s mortality rate, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates at 3.4%. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headaches, coughing, nausea and vomiting.