Hantavirus
What is Hantavirus?
Hantaviruses can infect and cause serious disease in people worldwide. People get hantavirus from contact with rodents like rats and mice, especially when exposed to their urine, droppings, and saliva. It can also spread through a bite or scratch by a rodent, but this is rare. Hantaviruses cause two syndromes, including hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
What is Andes Virus?
Andes virus is a type of hantavirus typically spread by rodents in South America. It can cause a severe respiratory disease in people, called Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). Andes virus is the only type of hantavirus that is known to spread person-to-person. This spread is usually limited to people who have close contact with a sick person.
U.S. public health officials, including the CDC, have stated that hantavirus infections in the United States remain rare and the risk to the general public remains low.
Signs and Symptoms
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS)
Signs and symptoms of HPS due to Andes virus appear 4 to 42 days after exposure.
Early symptoms of HPS due to Andes virus can include:
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Muscle aches, especially in the large muscle groups like the thighs, hips, back, and sometimes shoulders.
About half of all patients with HPS also experience headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems, like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Four to 10 days after the initial phase of illness, the late symptoms of HPS appear. These symptoms include coughing and shortness of breath. Patients might experience tightness in the chest, as the lungs fill with fluid.
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS)
HFRS is a severe and sometimes deadly disease that affects the kidneys. Symptoms of HFRS usually develop within 1 to 2 weeks after exposure. In rare cases, they may take up to 8 weeks to develop. Initial symptoms begin suddenly and include:
- Intense headaches
- Back and abdominal pain
- Fever/chills
- Nausea
- Blurred vision
- People may have flushing of the face, inflammation or redness of the eyes, or a rash.
Later symptoms can include:
- Low blood pressure
- Lack of blood flow (acute shock)
- Internal bleeding (vascular leakage)
- Acute kidney failure, which can cause severe fluid overload
The severity of the disease varies depending on the virus causing the infection.
Diagnosis
Diagnosing hantavirus in a person who has been infected less than 72 hours is difficult. If the initial test is done before the virus can be found, repeat testing is often done 72 hours after symptom start.
If you suspect hantavirus disease, contact your provider or the Wisconsin Department of Health Services immediately and mention a potential hantavirus exposure.
Please note that GHC-SCW providers are not able to independently order hantavirus testing. Only state laboratories and CDC can confirm a diagnosis through testing.
How it Spreads
Hantavirus is most commonly spread through exposure to infected rodents in areas where the disease is present, especially through contact with their urine, droppings or saliva.
Person-to-person transmission is considered extremely uncommon and has primarily been associated with the Andes virus, which has been identified in parts of South America. This type of spread is usually limited to people who have close contact with an ill person.
Close contact includes:
- Direct physical contact
- Prolonged time spent in close or enclosed spaces
- Exposure to the infected person’s saliva, respiratory secretions or other body fluids, such as kissing, sharing utensils or handling contaminated bedding
External Resources
Looking for more information on Hantavirus? We encourage you to use the following websites.
