A new killer disease, Hantavirus surfaces, kills one

It has been reported that why the world is battling to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus leading to shutting down of businesses, churches, mosques and economy of many nations, a new killer disease known as Hantavirus has been detected.

According to report, Hantavirus has recorded one death in Shandong Province of China alongside 32 others undergoing intensive treatment after being confirmedly infected.

From research, an orthohantavirus is a single-stranded, enveloped, negative-sense RNA virus in the family Hantaviridae of the order Bunyavirales.

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a severe, sometimes fatal, respiratory disease in humans caused by infection with hantaviruses. Anyone who comes into contact with rodents that carry hantaviruses is at risk of HPS. Rodent infestation in and around the home remains the primary risk for hantavirus exposure.

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the disease, HPS can be fatal. It has a mortality rate of 38%.

These viruses normally infect rodents, but do not cause disease in them. Humans may become infected with Hantaviruses through contact with rodent urine, saliva, or feces.

Due to the small number of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) cases, the “incubation time” is not positively known. However, on the basis of limited information, it appears that symptoms may develop between 1 and 8 weeks after exposure to fresh urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents.

Early symptoms include fatigue, fever and muscle aches, especially in the large muscle groups—thighs, hips, back, and sometimes shoulders. These symptoms are universal.

There may also be headaches, dizziness, chills, and abdominal problems, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. About half of all HPS patients experience these symptoms.

On late symptoms, four to ten days after the initial phase of illness, the late symptoms of HPS appear. These include coughing and shortness of breath, with the sensation of, as one survivor put it, a “…tight band around my chest and a pillow over my face” as the lungs fill with fluid.

For vaccines for Hantavirus, presently, there is no specific treatment, cure, or vaccine for HPS infection. However, we do know that if infected individuals are recognized early and receive medical care in an intensive care unit, they may do better.