On Tuesday, one man from China had died from a condition called hantavirus. The virus, which has been there for a long time, has symptoms 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.
However, should you worry about hantavirus? Statistics say now. Here are 5 reasons why:
Only transmitted through rats: One can get the disease by inhaling virus particles from rodent urine, dropping or saliva . It can happen when rodent waste is served up from vacuuming or sweeping. It can be caused due to touching objects or eating food or saliva that has been released in the air. Rat bites can also cause it but it’s very rare.
Rate to contract the disease: Although 15-20 percent of deer mice are infected with hantavirus, it's rare for humans to contract the disease, mostly because the virus dies shortly after contact with sunlight, and it can't spread from one person to another.
No human-to-human transmission: Each hantavirus serotype has a specific rodent host species and is ONLY spread to people via aerosolized virus that is shed in urine, feces, and saliva, and less frequently by a bite from an infected host.ha
HPS has a small incubation period and symptoms deliver over 1 to 8 weeks.
Early ones include:
Fever
Fatigue
Muscle aches
These occur in large muscle groups like thighs, hips, back and shoudlers
Others include headaches, dizziness, chills, abdominal pain, nausea vomiting, diarrhoea.
Later symptoms include lungs filling with fluid, which feel like pillow on one’s face.
