Hantaviruses are rare viruses that normally infect rodents. They do not cause disease in the host but are fatal to human beings. Hantavirus infections are illnesses caused by the virus when it passes from rodents to people. The virus infects people when they come in contact with infected rodents, or their droppings and other fluids. There is also a high chance of infection when a person breathes in air infected by rodents carrying the virus. Rodent bites and eating food contaminated with their droppings have also been known as possible ways for the virus to enter the human body.
How hantavirus infection affects the human body
Once the virus enters the body, it follows the bloodstream and quickly attacks and reduces the function of the heart, lungs and kidneys. It also continues to spread throughout the body by means of the bloodstream, replicating and causing serious damage to vital organs.
The viruses, based on their types, cause two main groups of diseases. A type of hantaviruses called Old World Hantaviruses causes a disease called Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS). The second group known as New World Hantaviruses causes Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), which affects the respiratory system and has a fatality rate of 38 to 50 percent.
Symptoms of hantavirus infections
The incubation of the virus may take anywhere from one to eight weeks; normally, the symptoms start two to three weeks after exposure to infected rodents or their droppings and fluids.
Symptoms of hantavirus infection include fever, headaches, …