Hantavirus news: 6 things you should know about Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
According to the United State's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome can be fatal and has a 38 percent mortality rate
while the entire world is trying to find a solution to prevent the coronavirus outbreak, a Global Times report said that a person from China’s Yunnan province died because of Hantavirus. Hantavirus china news has broken the internet as people have several questions about this virus.
According to the United State's 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 across the world.
6 things you should know about Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
1. What is Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome?
"Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a severe, sometimes fatal, respiratory disease in humans caused by infection with Hantaviruses.
"Anyone who comes into contact with rodents that carry Hantaviruses is at risk of HPS. Rodent infestation in and around the home remains the primary risk for Hantavirus exposure. Even healthy individuals are at risk for HPS infection if exposed to the virus," says CDC.
"In Chile and Argentina, rare cases of person-to-person transmission have occurred among close contacts of a person who was ill with a type of Hantavirus called Andes virus," it adds.
2 People at Risk for Hantavirus Infection
According to the CDC, "Anyone who comes into contact with rodents that carry Hantavirus is at risk of HPS. Rodent infestation in and around the home remains the primary risk for Hantavirus exposure. Even healthy individuals are at risk for HPS infection if exposed to the virus."
On their website, CDC also writes that Hantavirus is spread when virus-containing particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva are stirred into the air and it’s important to avoid actions that raise dust, such as sweeping or vacuuming.
"Infection occurs when you breathe in virus particles," CDC says.
3. Is the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome fatal?
Yes, according to the US’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HPS can be fatal. It has a 38 percent mortality rate.
4. Signs and Symptoms
Due to the small number of HPS cases, CDC says the 'incubation time' is not positively known.
Early Hantavirus symptoms include fever, fatigue and muscle aches, especially in the large muscle groups such as hips, thighs, back, and sometimes shoulders. These symptoms are universal.
"However, on the basis of limited information, it appears that symptoms may develop between 1 and 8 weeks after exposure to fresh urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents," writes CDC.
5. How to prevent Hantavirus
"Eliminate or minimise contact with rodents in your home, workplace, or campsite. If rodents don’t find that where you are is a good place for them to be, then you’re less likely to come into contact with them," says CDC.
6. Hantavirus treatment
There is no specific treatment, cure, or vaccine for Hantavirus infection. Diagnosing HPS in an individual who has only been infected a few days is difficult because early symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, and fatigue are easily confused with influenza.
"However, we do know that if infected individuals are recognized early and receive medical care in an intensive care unit, they may do better," CDC writes.
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