On Monday, a Chinese man was reported to have died. He tested positive for the hantavirus. Should this alert everyone of another pandemic?

Hantaviruses

Hantaviruses are a virus family that is spread through rodents, stated by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Chinese man from Yunnan Province died while he was on his way back to Shandong Province, says Global Times.

The man had undergone testing for the hantavirus, and he was positive. The other 32 passengers of the bus he rode were tested for the virus, says an article.

The COVID-19 Pandemic

This news had been tweeted amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It was shared at least 15,000 times.

Different nations from different parts of the world are on high alert levels due to uncertainties of the deadly novel coronavirus. Currently, no report suggests the hantavirus is a threat to global public health.

The Hantavirus

Based on the statement provided by the CDC, the hantavirus is rare. Also, the virus can be contracted through getting in contact with the saliva, urine, and droppings of rodents.

Carriers of the Virus

There are rat and mice species that carry the virus in the United States. The virus can be transmitted to humans by breathing contaminated air.

Transmission to Humans

The hantavirus causing diseases to humans in the US are not capable of human-to-human transmission, according to the CDC.

There are rare cases in Argentina and Chile where the virus was transmitted through human-to-human close contact. The type of hantavirus contracted and transferred by those people was called the Andes virus.

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Contracting the Hantavirus

The hantavirus in the United States can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. This syndrome is a severe type of respiratory illness that can become fatal to those who have them.

The Symptoms from the Hantavirus

Those who contract the disease will experience symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headache, muscle ache, chills, abdominal issues, and dizziness. In the later periods after contracting the disease, patients may experience coughing. Also, they can suffer from shortness of breath. These symptoms occur as the patient's lungs are being filled with fluid, according to the CDC.

 In some parts of Asia and Europe, people with the hantavirus can experience hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. This syndrome caused patients to experience fevers, pain, blurred vision, and nausea says the CDC. One of the serious symptoms of the disease is acute kidney failure.

Hantavirus Cases in the United States

Most hantavirus cases in the United States have been concentrated in the southwestern and western states.

From 1993 to 2017, there were only 728 reported hantavirus cases in the country. Most of the cases were non-fatal, says CDC records.

In May 1993, a hantavirus outbreak was reported in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Also, an outbreak of the same virus was reported in Yosemite in 2012 where 10 residents contracted the virus. In 2018, another outbreak of the hantavirus was reported in seven US states where a total of 17 people contracted the virus.