Hantaviruses are viruses transmitted by rodents that cause hemorrhagic fever with kidney involvement and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome, infections that can be fatal. In both cases, after contact with the virus through the feces, saliva or urine of infected rodents, the virus enters the body through the lungs, from where it spreads to the rest of the body, producing a first phase of general symptoms and high fever, which are indistinguishable from other viral or bacterial infections of different types.
Hantaviruses are RNA-type viruses that belong to the so-called “roboviruses”, so called because they are transmitted by rodents.
Hantavirus is a genus of virus that belongs to group C of the virus family called Bunyaviridae, which includes other viruses such as Congo and Crimean hemorrhagic fever or Riff Valley fever. Hantaviruses are considered biosafety risk level 4 viruses.
The Andes virus is the only virus that can be transmitted from person to person (thought to be through coughing, saliva, urine, and feces, as well as through sexual contact).
Symptoms:
The initial symptoms of this hantavirus infection begin abruptly and include severe headache, abdominal and back pain, fever and chills, nausea, and blurred vision. Redness of the face and eyes, or a rash may appear.
Later, serious symptoms appear, such as a drop in blood pressure, which can lead to shock with vascular permeability. The characteristic of this type of picture is acute renal failure. It may be accompanied by respiratory distress.
Hemorrhagic fever, not always accompanied by hemorrhages. If they do appear, they can manifest as skin bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding, or bloody sputum.
Supportive therapy is the mainstay of treatment for patients with Hantavirus infection. This includes, above all, the maintenance of the balance of the affected fluids and ions (sodium, potassium, chlorine), the level of oxygenation and blood pressure. In addition, any additional infection that may appear secondary, such as pneumonia or urine infections, must be monitored and treated.
Regarding drugs, the only one that has been tested in patients with Hantavirus infection is ribavirin. This medicine is effective in cases of Hantaan virus infection, and it seems that it could also be useful in infections caused by other Hantaviruses. Corticosteroids have not shown utility in the treatment of Hantavirus infections. Although there are promising studies with the use of monoclonal antibodies, developed after studying the serum of patients who recovered from Hantavirus infection.
To prevent infections, it is essential to control rodent populations in urban areas, and to prevent them from entering homes in rural areas, since there is currently no truly effective treatment for people infected with a hantavirus.
Prevention is essential to avoid Hantavirus infections.
- Carry out rat control campaigns to ensure that there are no rodents that can transmit viruses.
- In laboratories where rodents are used for experimentation, they must come from controlled sources, and workers must wear appropriate protective equipment.
- In rural areas, rodents must be prevented from entering houses, closing cracks and holes through which they could sneak. In addition, it is important to prevent them from entering the pantries where they can contaminate food with their droppings.
- If cleaning an area that looks like rodents have passed through, the surfaces should be sprayed with 100% bleach.
- If you go camping, try to do it away from brush or areas of withdrawals or garbage accumulation, and do not sleep directly on the ground or consume non-drinking water.
- If you come across a live rodent, you must not touch it, and you must notify the health authorities of your municipality.
- If you come across a dead rodent, avoid touching it without gloves, spray the area around it and the animal with bleach or bleach and then incinerate it or bury it more than 30 cm deep.
- Regarding vaccines, at the moment there is only one available for the Hantaan and Seoul viruses, but they have a high price. There is no vaccine for Sin Nombre, Puumala, Dobrava, or Andes viruses.
