Six years ago the world was embraced with a fear of a deadly virus. Coronavirus came in 2020 and uprooted our lives completely. Empty streets, masked faces and social distancing made headlines that triggered anxiety globally.
Six years later, here we are again with another virus that is raising fresh concerns over how it is going to impact our daily lives.
Here’s a breakdown of Hantavirus and how exactly it is going to affect us.
Hantavirus, named after the ‘Hantan’ river, traces back to South Korea. This infection that was first isolated back in 1978 during the Korean War, is rare but potentially life-threatening. Hantavirus is a rodent borne disease that spreads through direct contact with infected rodents, their saliva, urine or droppings and can lead to fatal respiratory and kidney complications.
Also Read: Explained: Why this Ebola outbreak is different, and more difficult to stop
Hantavirus has been making headlines recently, since a fresh series of cases were reported among the crew members and passengers aboard the Dutch expedition cruise ship MV Hondius. This ship that departed in April was carrying a total of 150 voyagers from over 20 countries, when multiple passengers and crew members began experiencing symptoms of acute respiratory distress. On investigation hantavirus cases were confirmed, with some even leading to deaths. Strict quarantine has been prompted with medical evacuations while the World Health Organisation (WHO) continues to monitor the situation closely.
According to experts, there is no sign of a massive outbreak yet but it has already triggered anxiety worldwide because after 2020 nobody hears the word “virus” casually anymore.
Here’s a closer look on how it spreads, causes, symptoms, and ways to prevent it.
How does it spread?
Hantavirus does not spread from person to person like coronavirus, instead it comes from the exposure of saliva, urine and droppings of an infected rodent.
People are affected when they breathe in the tiny contaminated particles of the excretion of such rodents, usually in a space that is enclosed or dusty. Store rooms, basements, garages, barns or poorly ventilated rooms where these rodents may have been around.
Actives like farming, forestry or cleaning unused space increases the risk to exposure. In very exceptional cases, rodent bites may also spread the infection.
What are its symptoms
The earliest symptom of hantavirus is flu-like. The intensity varies depending on the virus type and sign may show up somewhere around 1 to 8 weeks after being exposed to the virus.
People may experience
– Headache
– Coughing/ breathing complications
– Nausea or vomitting
– Body spasm
– Fatigue
– Abdominal discomfort
How dangerous is it?
Hantavirus can turn fatal really quickly. In extreme cases linked to HCS (Hantaviris Cardiopulmonary Syndrome) one may develop coughing, breathing complications and guild build up in the lungs that may cause respiratory failure or shock.
Another form, known as HFRS (Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome) the affected person suffers bleeding disorder, low blood pressure leading to kidney failure.
According to WHO, Hantavirus strains found in America have reported a fatality rate of 50%, making early medical intervention or hospitalisation extremely crucial.
Is there any treatment?
Right now, there isn’t.
There is no licensed antiviral treatment or vaccines developed yet to curb hantavirus infection.
Doctors have mainly relied on supportive care, which includes close monitoring of all the affected organs like lungs, kidney and heart. Patients with extreme cases of infection require intensive care support.
Any preventive measures?
To protect yourselves from the virus, limit your contact with rodents or rodent contaminated areas. Keeping home and workspaces clean, sealing any energy points that rodents may use and storing food in proper air tight containers.
It is also advised to not come in contact with rodent droppings while cleaning or sweeping as they may result in spreading the contaminated particles in the air.
Using proper cleaning techniques and maintaining hand hygiene is an effective preventive measure to adapt to.
What is the latest WHO update?
In the latest post on X by WHO, as of 12 May, 11 cases of hantavirus and 3 deaths related to it have been reported. Nice out of these 11 cases have been confirmed while two still remain probable at the time of publishing this article.
All the infections involve crew members and passengers of the cruise ship MV Hondius. According to WHO’s statement there is a possibility that more cases will emerge since the virus has a relatively long incubation period, and exposed passengers and few members travelled across multiple countries before the outbreak was identified.
Meanwhile, health authorities continue to monitor the situation closely and affected patients are being followed up in their countries respectively. WHO has recommended a 42 day quarantine period from the day the affected individuals left the ship.
For now, there is no reason to panic. But if the past few years has taught us anything, it’s this- even a small outbreak can trigger global concern in a post-pandemic world.