If the initial symptoms are not connected to hantavirus exposure and are left untreated, late symptoms will onset rapidly. These symptoms include cough and shortness of breath, which are the result of leaky blood vessels and lead to collection of fluid in the lungs, bleeding and failure of the heart to pump.
Most often symptoms occur 9-33 days after the virus enters the body, but symptoms can appear as early as one week or as late as eight weeks. Early symptoms are general and include fever, fatigue, and muscle pain.
Hantavirus infection can have no symptoms or cause mild to severe illness. Fever is the most common symptom in all three types of disease and lasts about 3-7 days.
Survival of the virus for 2 or 3 days has been shown at normal room temperature. Exposure to sunlight will decrease the time of viability, and freezing temperatures will actually increase the time that the virus survives.
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is a rare infectious disease that begins with flu-like symptoms and progresses rapidly to more severe disease.
Any man, woman, or child who is around mice or rats that carry harmful hantaviruses can get HPS. You do not have to already be sick to be at risk for HPS. Healthy people have become ill with HPS. While HPS is a very rare disease, cases have occurred in all regions of the United States except for Alaska and Hawaii.
People at Risk for Hantavirus Infection
Anyone who comes into contact with rodents that carry hantavirus is at risk of HPS. Rodent infestation in and around the home remains the primary risk for hantavirus exposure. Even healthy individuals are at risk for HPS infection if exposed to the virus.
There is no specific treatment, cure, or vaccine for hantavirus 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.
Is the Disease Fatal? Yes. HPS can be fatal. It has a mortality rate of 38%.
A person may be exposed to hantavirus by breathing contaminated dust after disturbing or cleaning rodent droppings or nests, or by living or working in rodent-infested settings. Typically one to five cases are reported each year and about one out of three people diagnosed with HPS have died.
CDC uses an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect IgM antibodies to SNV and to diagnose acute infections with other hantaviruses. This assay is also available in some state health laboratories. An IgG test is used in conjunction with the IgM-capture test.
Approximately 12 percent of deer mice carry hantavirus. The deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) is the primary reservoir for Sin Nombre Virus, the strain of hantavirus responsible for the human cases in Yosemite National Park, and most human cases in the United States.
Who should be tested for hantavirus infection? Because early symptoms of hantavirus infection are vague and similar to those of the flu (ie, fever, fatigue, muscle aches), testing should be performed only for symptomatic individuals who also have a history of rodent exposure.
Hantavirus enters your body when you inhale virus particles from infected rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. The virus affects the heart, lungs, and kidneys, reducing their ability to function. The virus also enters the bloodstream, where it continues to spread and cause further organ damage.
There is no specific treatment or cure for hantavirus infection. Treatment of patients with HPS remains supportive in nature. Patients should receive appropriate, broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy while awaiting confirmation of a diagnosis of HPS.
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. Even healthy individuals are at risk for HPS infection if exposed to the virus.
MIAMI BEACH — Hantavirus sur- vivors commonly experience fatigue, shortness of breath, and myalgias up to 5 years after infection, according to the fi- nal summary of a longitudinal, prospec- tive study.
Andes Virus. Andes virus is a type of hantavirus found in rodents in South America. Like other hantaviruses, infection with Andes virus can lead to HPS. Andes virus is found primarily in Argentina and Chile.
Typically, the hantavirus found in mouse droppings can live for about one week outside of the host. This time is cut to just a few hours when met with direct sunlight. No matter how long these droppings are dangerous, though, it is super important to clean them up the right way.
The accumulation of feces from mice and rats can spread bacteria, contaminate food sources and trigger allergic reactions in humans. Once the fecal matter becomes dry, it can be hazardous to those who breathe it in.
However, the virus is shed continuously from them: into the droppings and urine they leave around the room, and into their saliva, which dries on anything they have chewed, such as nesting material. Out in the environment like this, the virus can live for several days.
The hantavirus is destroyed by detergents and readily available disinfectants such as diluted household bleach or products containing phenol (e.g., Lysol®).
Mice, rats and other rodents may carry infections that can spread to humans. These infections can spread through direct contact with infected mice or through contact with soil, food or water contaminated by infected mice. These infections are rare, but people should take steps to reduce their risk.
House mice may be cute and cuddly, but they are a real health hazard. Their feces and saliva can spread bacteria, contaminate food sources, and give you allergic reactions. Their dry fecal matter can be harmful if breathed in.
Virus Risk: Why Sweeping & Vacuuming Rat & Mice Droppings Can Be Hazardous to Your Health. Rats and mice are dangerous from a public health standpoint because they can transmit disease through their waste. For that reason, properly removing rodent feces and urine is very important.