Hantavirus VS Coronavirus:The deadliest killer!!!

Hantavirus is a virus that is found in the urine, saliva, or droppings of infected deer mice and some other wild rodents (cotton rats, rice rats in the southeastern Unites States and the whitefooted mouse).

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses spread mainly by rodents and can cause varied disease syndromes in people worldwide. Hantaviruses in the Americas are known as “New World” hantaviruses and may cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Other hantaviruses, known as

"Old World" hantaviruses, are found mostly in Europe and Asia and may cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).

Hantavirus was first recognized as an infectious disease in the early 1950s when a cluster of 3,000 United Nation troops stationed in Korea was hit by a mysterious illness. Ten to fifteen percent of those infected died, and though the exact etiologic agent was not discovered for two decades, it was suspected that rodents served as the main epidemiologic vector. The infection was associated with fever, hypertension, renal failure, thrombocytopenia, and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). The clinical syndrome became known as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), formerly Korean hemorrhagic fever, and the virus was named Hanta after the virus was named Hanta after the

Hantaan River of Korea. 

Over the years, several other etiologic agents of HFRS such as the Seoul, Puumala, and Dobrava viruses, were discovered across Europe and Asi It causes a rare but serious lung disease called Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). The virus does not last  for long once outside of its host -- less than 1 week outdoors and a few hours when exposed to direct sunlight.

In 1981, a new genus termed as “hantavirus” was introduced in the Bunyaviridae family, maniculatus, and was later named as Sin Nombre virus (SNV). Later on, it became clear that other hantaviruses similar to SNV, such as Andes virus (ANDV), are present through out the united states. Currently, the hantavirus genus includes more than twenty one species and more than 30 genotypes.

Each hantavirus serotype has a specific rodent host species and is spread to people via aerosolized virus that is shed in urine, feces, and saliva, and less frequently by a bite from an infected host. The most important hantavirus in the United States that can cause HPS is the Sin Nombre virus, spread by the deer mouse

What Are Symptoms of Hantavirus?

Since HPS affects a small population, the “incubation” period is unknown. In most recorded cases, symptoms develop 1 to 8 weeks after unprotected.

 Early symptoms, such as fever, dry cough, body aches, headaches, diarrhea and abdominal pain, are similar to many other viral illnesses. This may prevent an HPS diagnosis before the illness progresses.

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.

Late Symptoms, after Four to 10 days after the initial phase of illness, the late symptoms of HPS appear. These include coughing and shortness of breath.

There is no vaccine for HPS. “However, we know that if infected individuals are recognised early and receive medical care in an intensive care unit, they may do better. In intensive care, patients are incubated and given oxygen therapy to help them through the period of severe respiratory distress,” says CDC.

Is the Disease Fatal?

Yes. Hantavirus is fatal. It has a fatality rate of 36%. Patients with hantavirus infection typically present in a nonspecific way with a relatively short febrile prodrome lasting 3-5 days.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is  an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. The clinical name for coronavirus is actually SARS-CoV-2. It stands for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

The disease causes respiratory illness (like the flu) with symptoms such as a cough, fever, and in more severe cases, difficulty breathing. You can protect yourself by washing your hands frequently, avoid touching your face, and avoid close contact (1 meter or 3 feet) with people who are unwell. Older people, and those with medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.

To get more intensive knowledge about COVID-19, Click Here.

Hantaviruses are a different family of viruses to coronaviruses and have some crucial differences.

The main difference is that hantavirus is spread via very specific rodents and is very rarely transmitted human-to-human - unlike the coronavirus which is highly contagious. There have been no recorded cases of human-to-human transmission in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hantavirus is instead contracted via urine, feces, saliva, and bites from an infected species.

According to the CDC notes, that in the US the most common cause of hantavirus is from deer mice.

HPS is more common in South America than in North America. Cases have been identified in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, and Bolivia. Andes virus causes HPS in Argentina and Chile and is the only hantavirus known to have been transmitted from person to person. Andes, Bermejo, Lechiguanas, Maciel, Oran, and Pergamino viruses have been linked to HPS cases in Argentina. Bermejo and Laguna Negra virus cause HPS in Bolivia, and Laguna Negra virus is also linked to HPS in Paraguay. Araraquara, Castelo dos Sonhos, and Juquitiba viruses have been associated with HPS in Brazil.

Hantevirus is not associated to Person-to-person transmission and has not been cases in the United States. However, Coronavirus is contagious and is transmitted to person- to -person. Patients above 80 years of age had an alarmingly high fatality rate of 14.8%. Patients ages 70 to 79 years had a fatality rate of 8% and those ages 60 to 69 had a fatality rate of 3.6%. (Younger age groups had lower fatality rates; 1.3% for those 50 to 59; 0.4% for the age group 40 to 49; and just 0.2% for people ages 10 to 39.)

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