Hantavirus: symptoms, causes, transmission to prevention

What is a hantavirus?

Hantavirus is a group of viruses that spreads through mice and can cause various diseases. Infection with any hantavirus can produce disease due to exposure to mice, in humans.

The hantavirus found in America known as the "New World" or "New World" can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).

Another hantavirus, known as the "Old World" hantavirus, is found mostly in Europe and Asia and can cause scarlet fever with kidney syndrome or hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).

HPS is a rare and deadly viral infection. Rats transmit hantavirus to humans through their urine, feces and saliva.

Humans can get this disease if they breathe infected air or come in contact with rodents, urine, or their feces. This virus is not transmitted from person to person.

Dengue fever with kidney syndrome (HFRS) can appear when HPS disease develops.

How common is this condition?

The first outbreak of this infectious disease occurred in 1993 in the southwestern United States. In 2012, a hantavirus outbreak was found in Yosemite National Park again due to deer rats transmitting the virus to humans. About 38% of hantavirus infections result in death.

At the end of March 2020, as reported from the same website, cases of hantavirus were also found in China. A man in Yunnan Province died and tested positive for hantavirus.

This raises new concerns considering that at the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic (which emerged in China for the first time) is not over. Even so, the pattern of hantavirus transmission, which is animal-to-human, is believed to make disease transmission more difficult than COVID-19.

The National Institue of Health categorizes this disease as a rare condition. As an illustration, only about 800 Americans have contracted this virus as of 2017.

Hantavirus signs and symptoms

The incubation time for hantavirus is not known with certainty, given the small number of HPS cases.

However, based on limited information stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), symptoms of this viral infection can develop between 1-8 weeks after exposure to fresh urine, feces, or saliva of infected mice.

Initial symptoms that are considered common in patients with hantavirus infection are:

• Sluggish
• Fever
• Muscle pain, especially in large muscle groups, namely the thighs, hips, back and shoulders.

In addition, half of the patients suffering from HPS also experience symptoms such as:

• Headache
• Dizzy
• Cold
• Stomach problems, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain.

During the 4-10 days after the initial phase of the disease, advanced hantavirus symptoms begin to appear. Symptoms include coughing and shortness of breath, as well as a sensation that patients describe as "a tight band around my chest and a pillow covering my face" when the lungs fill with fluid.

When should you see a doctor?

The signs and symptoms of HPS can suddenly worsen and become life-threatening very quickly.

If you think you are around rats or their droppings and have signs and symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, or difficulty breathing, contact your doctor immediately.

Causes of hantavirus

Each type of hantavirus has a specific mouse host to live on. Deer rats are the main carriers of the virus responsible for the majority of HPS cases in North America.

The Mayo Clinic page says, other hantavirus carriers are white-tailed mice, cotton rats, and rice rats.

The main mode of transmission of hantavirus

Hantavirus is transmitted from mice to humans through the air. When you breathe air that has been contaminated with the virus, you can catch HPS.

After being inhaled, the virus reaches the lungs and begins to attack the small blood vessels (capillaries), eventually causing them to leak.

Your lungs are then flooded with fluid, which can trigger related respiratory system problems hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).

The CDC says there are several ways of transmission that might cause you to contract hantavirus, namely:

• If a mouse carrying the virus bites, the virus may spread to you. However, this type of transmission is rare.
• Scientists believe that people may catch the virus if they touch something that's been contaminated with rat urine, feces, or saliva and then touch their nose or mouth.
• Scientists also believe that people can get hantavirus if they eat food contaminated with the urine, feces, or saliva of infected mice.

Human-to-human transmission

Hantavirus cannot be passed from one person to another. You cannot catch the virus by touching or kissing someone who has HPS.

You also cannot catch it from health workers who treat patients with the disease.

Rare cases that have occurred in Chile and Argentina show that the virus has passed from person to person. This type of hantavirus is called the Andean virus.

Risk factors

Anyone who comes in contact with mice carrying this virus is at risk of contracting HPS. The presence of rats in and around the house is a major risk of exposure to this virus. Even healthy people can be at risk for HPS if exposed to hantavirus.

Any activity that puts you in contact with rat droppings, urine, or saliva can put you at risk for infection. It is important to avoid actions that create dust. Infection occurs when you inhale viral particles.

Factors and activities that can increase your risk of getting hantavirus infection are:

• Opening and cleaning of old buildings or buildings that have not been used for a long time
• Cleaning the house, especially the attic area
• Have a home or workspace infested with mice
• Have a job that involves exposure to a bend, such as construction work, utilities, and pest control
• Camping, hiking, or hunting

Diagnosis

How is hantavirus infection diagnosed?

Diagnosing HPS in individuals who have just been infected for a few days is difficult. This is because early symptoms, such as fever, muscle aches, and fatigue are difficult to distinguish from influenza symptoms.

Blood tests can show whether your body has developed immunity to hantavirus. The doctor may also order other laboratory tests to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms.

Hantavirus treatment

The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.

Specific treatment options for HPS are limited. However, life expectancy improves with early screening, immediate hospitalization, and adequate breathing support.

Following are possible treatment options for hantavirus exposure:

Supportive therapy

People with severe cases need immediate care in an intensive care unit (ICU). Intubation and mechanical ventilation may be needed to support breathing and help manage fluid in the lungs.

Intubation is the placement of a breathing tube through the nose or mouth into the windpipe (trachea) to help keep the airways open and functioning.

Blood oxygenation

In cases of very severe pulmonary pressure, you'll need a method called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to help ensure you have an adequate supply of oxygen.

This method consists of continuous pumping of blood through a machine that adds oxygen and removes carbon dioxide. The oxygenated blood is then returned to your body.

The sooner the patient is brought into intensive care, the better. If a person has complete damage, treatment may not be effective.

How to prevent transmission

Removing mice from your home and workplace can help reduce your risk of hantavirus infection. You can do the tips below:

• Block mouse access by sealing holes through which the mice can pass through a wire, metal bolt, or cement filter
• Cover food, including your pet's food
• Use a tight lid for the trash can
• Use poison to catch mice

In addition, it is recommended that you maintain cleanliness by wetting dead rats and areas where rats are roaming with alcohol, household disinfectant, or bleach.

This method of preventing infection can kill the virus and help prevent dust contaminated with the virus from mixing in the air.

After everything is wet, use a wet towel to remove the contaminated material. Clean the area with a disinfectant.

If you have any particular concerns, consult your doctor for the best solution to your problem.