Hantavirus is a previously known family of viruses and is spread mainly by rodents and can cause varied disease syndromes in people but the cases of person-to-person transmission are rare.
Hantavirus is a disease that affects both the pulmonary region, as well as the kidneys in the long run, medical experts have said. However, in an era where the coronavirus pandemic has created fear in the world, this case of hantavirus originating in China has resulted in the virus become one of the most searched trends on Twitter.
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However, the symptoms are almost similar to coronavirus. Some of the symptoms includes
fever, headache, muscle ache, abdominal pain, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea. About half of all HPS patients experience these symptoms. Late symptoms include lungs fill with fluid and shortness of breath.
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Unlike coronavirus, hantavirus is not airborne. Humans who contract the hantavirus usually come into contact with rodents that carry the virus. “Rodent infestation in and around the home remains the primary risk for hantavirus exposure. Even healthy individuals are at risk for HPS infection if exposed to the virus,” Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said in its website.
