Specific Disease Frequently Asked Questions | Hantavirus
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What is hantavirus pulmonary
syndrome?
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is a rare disease caused by a virus (hantavirus).
The first symptoms of HPS (hantavirus pulmonary syndrome) are fever, muscle
pain, and being tired. This happens 1 to 3 weeks after a person is exposed
to hantavirus. Some people also get headaches, dizziness, vomiting, or
diarrhea. After about 4 to 10 days, people who are sick with hantavirus
infection begin to cough and have shortness of breath. If someone is sick
with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and does not get help quickly, he or
she may die.
Can animals transmit hantavirus
pulmonary syndrome to me?
Yes, wild rodents can pass hantavirus to people. Several different types
of wild mice and rats can be infected with hantavirus and pass it in their
droppings, urine, or saliva. The common house mouse does not carry hantavirus.
People can get hantavirus when they touch rodent urine, droppings, or
places where these animals have nested. Dried droppings or urine can be
stirred up in dust and breathed in by people. Hantavirus has not been
shown to infect other kinds of animals, such as dogs, cats, or farm animals.
Can you get hantavirus from
animals other than rodents, or from insects? What about pets?
No-the hantavirus that cause HPS in the United States are not known to
be transmitted by any types of animals other than certain types of rodents.
Dogs and cats are not known to carry hantavirus. However, they may bring
infected rodents into contact with people if they catch such animals and
carry them home. Guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils and other such pets are
not known to carry hantavirus.
Can the virus be spread between
people?
The types of hantavirus that cause HPS in the United States cannot be
transmitted from one person to another.
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How can I protect myself from
hantavirus pulmonary syndrome?
- Keep a clean home, especially the kitchen (wash dishes, clean counters
and floor, and keep food covered in rodent-proof containers).
- Keep a tight-fitting lid on garbage, and discard uneaten pet food
at the end of the day.
- Set and keep spring-loaded rodent traps near baseboards because rodents
tend to run along walls and in tight spaces rather than out in the open.
- Set Environmental Protection Agency-approved rodenticide with bait
under plywood or plastic shelter along baseboards. These are sometimes
known as "covered bait stations." Remember to follow product
use instructions carefully, since rodenticides are poisonous to pets
and people, too.
- If bubonic plague is a problem in your area, spray flea killer or
spread flea powder in the area before setting traps. This is important.
If you control rodents but do not control fleas as well, you may increase
the risk of infection with bubonic plague, since once the rodents die,
fleas will leave them and seek other food sources, including humans.
- Seal all entry holes 1/4 inch wide or wider with lath screen or lath
metal, cement, wire screening, or other patching materials, inside and
out.
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How common is the disease?
The disease is very rare. Most of the 185 cases reported until 1998 have
occurred in the Western United States. However, the deer mouse is located
throughout most of the United States. No cases have occurred in Missouri.
The map below shows the distribution of all hantavirus cases thru May
7, 2003.
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What is the treatment for HPS?
At the present time, there is no specific treatment or "cure"
for hantavirus infection. However, we do know that if the infected individuals
are recognized early and are taken to an intensive care unit, some patients
may do better. In intensive care, patients are intubated and given oxygen
therapy to help them through the period of severe respiratory distress.
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