A man in the Yunnan province of southwest China was tested Positive for Hantavirus. According to a tweet by China’s Global Times, the man died on his way back to Shandong province for work on a chartered bus on Monday. The other 32 people on the bus were also being tested.
The death has caused panic worldwide. People fear that Hantavirus can result in another Pandemic, just like Coronavirus. The Report by Global times on Hantavirus has been shared over 6,000 times. On Tuesday, Hantavirus was one of the top trends on twitter.
When the total number of Coronavirus cases in the world has reached to 4.5 lakhs, it is beyond doubt that another Pandemic will bring the world to an end. Therefore, it becomes important to understand the effects and impact of Hantavirus.
What is Hantavirus?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention, Hantaviruses are a family of viruses spread mainly by rodents and can cause varied disease syndromes in people worldwide. Infection with any hantavirus can produce hantavirus disease in people. Hantavirus in the Americas is known as ” new world” hantavirus and may cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Otherworld hantaviruses known as “old World” hantaviruses are found mostly in Europe and Asia and may cause Hemorrhagic Fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
What are the symptoms of Hantavirus?
People with HPS will initially have Fever, severe muscle aches, and fatigue. After that, there will be a problem with breathing. It may also cause headaches, dizziness, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain.
Is Hantavirus as dangerous as Coronavirus?
Hantavirus is not a new virus, unlike Coronavirus. There is no human to human transmission in Hantavirus while Coronavirus is highly contagious and spread rapidly. The mortality rate of Hantavirus is much more than Coronavirus. However the transmission risk of Hantavirus is negligible.
According to CDS data, From 1993 to 2017, there were only 728 confirmed cases of hantavirus cases in the united state, with most being non-fatal. The transfer from human to human in unlikely. It occurred only in rare cases in Chile and Argentina and only with a specific virus called Andes Virus.
In May 1993, a hantavirus outbreak occurred in an area between Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. A 2012 outbreak in Yosemite sickened ten people. In seven states, 17 people were infected in a 2017 outbreak.