From symptoms to cure, things one should know about hantavirus

As the world was busy battling COVID-19, China reported another case where a man tested positive of a virus but of a different kind. According to reports, China on March 24 recorded a case where a man tested positive for hantavirus, which is primarily spread by rodents and has different sets of symptoms. There are things that everyone should know about hantavirus as pointed out by the United States Centre for Disease Control (USCDC). 

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Hantavirus

The Centre for Disease Control says that infection from any of the hantavirus can cause hantavirus disease in people. As per reports, the virus can cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) and Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS). Media reports suggest that the virus can spread to people through contact with urine, feces, and saliva, and by a bite from an infected rodent. 

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According to reports, there is currently no cure for hantavirus infected people, however, one can avoid fatality by getting admitted to a hospital for intensive care as soon as possible. Medical experts have advised rodent control as a primary measure to avoid the spread of the disease in the absence of a cure. 

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As per the United States Centre for Disease Control, patients can feel headache, joint and lower back pain, nausea and vomiting as symptoms of hantavirus. The primary symptom is reportedly difficulty in breathing, which is caused by fluid build-up in the lungs, and which quickly progresses to an inability to breathe. Media reports suggest that the HPS symptoms take 2-4 weeks to appear, but it can also be detected as early as 1 week or as late as 6 weeks. 

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Meanwhile, the COVID-19 has claimed more than 19,600 lives across the world and has infected nearly 4,35,000 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China was the most affected country until last week, however, Italy and Spain have surpassed it to record the most number of deaths anywhere in the world due to COVID-19. The virus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally.

(Image credit: CDC)