Hantaviruses are a family of rodent-bourne viruses, with each strain tied to a selected host species.
It’s spread when people come into contact with infected droppings, saliva, urine or nesting materials, but is extremely rare, and infrequently passed from individual to individual.
If caught, hantavirus can result in two primary illnesses, certainly one of which affects the lungs (Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome or HPS) and the opposite which affects the kidneys (Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome or HFRS).
The incubation period for this illness is usually two to 4 weeks, in line with the federal government, but can range from as little as two days to so long as eight weeks.
What are the symptoms?
Early symptoms of hantavirus are much like the flu, and include headaches, dizziness, chills in addition to abdominal problems like diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea.
If it progresses into Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, patients can experience headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
Should you develop Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome, initial symptoms will include intense headaches, back and abdominal pain, fever or chills, nausea, and blurred vision.
If the disease progresses, later symptoms include low blood pressure, acute shock (lack of blood flow), internal bleeding, and acute kidney failure, in line with the CDC.
Hantavirus will be fatal, so it’s necessary to control symptoms if you happen to consider you’ve been exposed. There may be currently no cure for the disease.