How Much Do You Know About the Hantavirus?
First identified in the early 1990s in the desert Southwest, the hantavirus has been reported in more than 30 states. Learn more about the virus and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) by taking this quiz, based on information from the CDC.
1. Where have most cases of HPS been reported?
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About 70 percent of HPS cases have been in rural areas. Since HPS was first identified in 1993, more than 400 cases have been reported in the United States. Most of the cases have been in Western and Plains states, but states as far east as New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont have also reported at least one case. More recently, cases of HPS stemming from related hantaviruses have been documented in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, making HPS a pan-hemispheric disease.
3. How is the hantavirus transmitted?
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Mice and rats that are infected with the hantavirus leave the virus behind through their urine, droppings, and saliva. The virus is mainly transmitted to people when they breathe in air contaminated with the virus, the CDC says. This occurs when droppings or nesting materials are stirred up, sending the particles into the air. The virus also can be transmitted through breaks in the skin, by touching your nose or mouth after handling contaminated materials, through contaminated food or water, and—rarely—through mouse or rat bites. The types of hantavirus that cause HPS in the United States cannot be transmitted from one person to another, nor do they appear to infect animals such as dogs, cats, or farm animals.
5. Which of these is a symptom of HPS?
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These are early symptoms, appearing one to five weeks after you become infected with the hantavirus. Other early symptoms include headaches, dizziness, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. About half of all people with HPS have these symptoms, the CDC says. Four to 10 days after these symptoms begin, late symptoms appear. These progress rapidly and include coughing and shortness of breath. At this point, the illness becomes life-threatening, as the lung fill with fluid. Prompt medical care is critical.
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