Even when the world is trying to find a cure for the dreaded coronavirus pandemic, a report in Global Times said that a man from China's Yunnan province died from Hantavirus while on a bus to the Shandong province.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Hantavirus is basically a family of viruses the originate from rodents or Rats.
It can cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) and Haematthagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS). The disease is not airborne and can only spread to people if they come in contact with urine feces, and saliva of rodents and less frequently by a bite from an infected host.
HANTAVIRUS IN CHINA | 1 Killed in China | Know the Symptoms | Take Preventive Measures
Sympotoms of Hantavirus

• HPS has a small incubation period and symptoms deliver over 1 to 8 weeks. Early ones include fever, fatigue, muscle aches.


• These occur in large muscle groups like things. hips, back, and shoulder other include headaches, dizziness, chills, abdominal pain, nausea vomiting, and diarrhea.


• Later symptoms include lungs filling with fluid, which feel like a pillow on one's face.

What is Hantavirus?

• The Centre for Disease Control says that the virus is spread mainly from rodents. It goes on to say that infection with any of the hantavirus can cause hantavirus disease in people.


• "Hantaviruses in the Americas are known as “New World” hantaviruses and may cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Other hantaviruses, known as “Old World” hantaviruses, are found mostly in Europe and Asia and may cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS)


• The hantavirus case comes at a time when the total count of those infected by novel coronavirus globally is nearing the 400,000 mark and scientists are yet to find a cure for it. The global death toll has crossed the 16,500 marks.

Facts about Hantavirus
1. NAME AND NATURE OF INFECTING ORGANISM

• The term hantavirus refers to a genus covering several tens of species or genotypes globally; six so far in Europe, differing in their virulence to humans.


• Each hantavirus has a specific rodent host species or a group of closely related host species.


• Hantaviruses are expanding in Europe: they are found in new areas and the incidence has increased in several established endemic regions.

2. CLINICAL FEATURES

• Overall, three syndromes are caused by hantaviruses


• Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), mainly in Europe and Asia


• Nephropathy epidemic (NE), a mild form of HFRS, caused by Puumala hantavirus, and occurring in Europe


• Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), in the Americas.

3. TRANSMISSION
3.1. Reservoir

Rodents like the bank voles and the yellow-necked mouse are the reservoir for hantaviruses. In the northern part of Europe, human epidemics occur during the cyclic population peaks of the host species.

In temperate Europe, on the other hand, human epidemics are related to the (irregular) occurrence of mast years, i.e. years with heavy seed crops of oak and beech leading to the abundance of seed-eating rodents species including.

3.2. Transmission mode

• The rodents excrete hantaviruses in the urine, feces, and saliva, and human infection takes place mostly via inhalation of aerosolized virus-contaminated rodent excreta.


• Therefore rodent-infested dusty places are risk sites. No human-to-human transmission is known for European hantaviruses. No arthropod vectors are known for hantaviruses.

3.3. Risk groups

• Occupations such as forestry workers and farmers have an increased risk of exposure.

4. PREVENTION MEASURES

• Avoidance of virus-contaminated dust during work or leisure time is of prime importance; for people with underlying disease, face masks could be used.


• The creation of air-borne dust should be avoided when areas containing rodent droppings are cleaned, and moist cleaning with disinfectants is recommended.


• Wild rodents taken into homes as pets or to laboratories for research purposes have caused infections.

5. DIAGNOSIS

• The diagnosis of hantavirus disease mainly relies on the detection of antibodies, through immuno-fluorescent assays (IFA) or Enzyme Immuno Assays (EIA). In the acute phase of the hantavirus infection, antibodies are not specific.


• Low avidity of IgG antibodies and granular fluorescence in IFA of acute sera can be used to separate old from new infections.

6. MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT

• The treatment of hantavirus disease is mainly symptomatic. Maintaining the fluid balance, while avoiding over-hydration in a potentially oliguric patient is of critical importance.


• In case of renal insufficiency, dialysis may be required. Because European hantaviruses do not spread from human to human, no isolation is needed.

7. KEY AREAS OF UNCERTAINTY

• Hantavirus diseases are under-diagnosed in many regions in Europe; locally adapted guidelines to raise awareness are needed.


• The respective role of different rodent species in transmitting RBD needs to be further assessed. Rodent vector control strategies need to be further developed and fine-tuned

8. REFERENCES

• Evander M, Eriksson I, Pettersson L, Juto P, Ahlm C, Olsson GE et al. Puumala hantavirus viremia diagnosed by real-time reverse transcriptase PCR using samples from patients with hemorrhagic fever and renal syndrome. J Clin Microbiol 2007.

HANTAVIRUS IN CHINA | 1 Killed in China | Know the Symptoms | Take Preventive Measures