Hantavirus are a group of viruses carried by rodents that can cause severe disease in humans. People usually get infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva. Infection with hantaviruses can cause a range of illnesses, including severe disease and death. Andes virus, found in South America, is a currently known hantavirus for which limited human‑to‑human transmission among contacts has been documented. There is no licenced specific antiviral treatment or vaccine for hantavirus infection.
STOCKHOLM MAY 12: Orthohantavirus is a genus of viruses that includes all hantaviruses (family Hantaviridae) that cause disease in humans. Hantaviruses are naturally found primarily in rodents. Hantavirus infections are associated with a case fatality rate of <1–15% in Asia and Europe and up to 50% in the Americas. While there are no licensed treatment nor vaccines for hantavirus infections, early supportive care and immediate referral to a facility with a complete Intensive Care Unit can improve survival.
Hantaviruses in their natural reservoirs usually cause an asymptomatic, persistent infection. In humans, however, hantaviruses cause two diseases: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).
Hantaviruses are transmitted mainly through aerosols and droplets that contain rodent excretions, as well as through contaminated food, bites, and scratches. Environmental factors such as rainfall, temperature, and humidity influence transmission. Andes virus, found in South America, is a currently known hantavirus for which limited human‑to‑human transmission among contacts has been documented.
Transmission between people has been associated with close and prolonged contact, particularly among household members or intimate partners, and appears most likely during the early phase of illness, when the virus is more transmissible.
The risk of the ongoing hantavirus outbreak developing into a new pandemic is assessed by experts and authorities as very small. Although hantavirus is very dangerous with a high mortality rate, it does not spread as easily as, for example, coronavirus.
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