Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome: How It Spreads, Symptoms and Prevention

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a rare viral infection caused by several strains of hantavirus.

How it spreads

Mice and rats carry the virus and shed it in their urine, droppings and saliva, from which tiny droplets carrying the virus can get into the air. You can catch it by breathing that air, or through contact with rodents or their urine or droppings.

Usually the virus does not pass from person to person. The exception is the Andes virus, a strain found in South America, which can spread through close contact with someone who has it.

Symptoms

Early on:

• fatigue;
• fever;
• muscle aches, especially in the thighs, hips and back;
• headaches;
• chills;
• dizziness;
• nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or belly pain.

Later: coughing and shortness of breath.

If you have been around rodents and develop fever, deep muscle aches and severe shortness of breath, see a health care provider at once. Early treatment is important. There is no specific treatment, cure or vaccine for HPS.

Prevention

Controlling rodents in and around your home is the best way to prevent infection.

Sources

• MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, "Hantavirus Infections," drawing on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://medlineplus.gov/hantavirusinfections.html
• Rewritten in hubnx's own words.