Hantaviruses are a group of viruses mostly carried by rodents (mice, rats, voles). Two main disease types have been described in humans. These include haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus cardiopulmonary disease (HCPD). The first is considered an “old world” disease (Europe and Asia) and the second is found in the “new world” (the Americas).
Hantavirus is in the family of Bunyaviruses. Bunyaviruses are responsible for several other serious diseases including rift valley fever and crimean-congo haemorrhagic fever.
Hantavirus is usually transmitted to humans through inhalation. It can also be transmitted by a bite or scratch. Outbreaks of the disease are associated with increases in the rodent population in an area known for endemic disease. Person to person transmission has been described in the “new world” variant in Argentina. It is thought that crowding in a poorly ventilated area promotes transmission. It is this form of transmission that poses pandemic potential.
Hantavirus disease has been recognised for hundreds of years but the aetiologic agent was only first identified in field mice in 1976. It is named after the Hantan River in South Korea, near to where the field mice were found. The disease was commonly described in rural workers in the region.
In 2022, researchers in Taiwan investigated 2 cases of hantavirus disease in workers at a rodent breeding farm in Taiwan. They tested the rats for immunity and found that 37.5 percent had evidence of past exposure. They concluded it was necessary for workers in the industry to increase sanitation measures, have good hand hygiene and use personal protective equipment to reduce exposure.
