FAQ

Hantaviruses are a family of rodent-borne viruses that can cause two serious clinical syndromes: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), found mainly in the Americas, and Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS), found mainly in Asia and Europe. Different viruses in the family are spread by different rodent species in different regions.

Most often through breathing in air contaminated with rodent urine, droppings, or saliva — typically when cleaning out areas where rodents live. Less commonly, from a rodent bite or direct contact with contaminated material. With the exception of Andes virus in South America, hantaviruses are not generally transmitted between people.

For most hantaviruses, no — person-to-person transmission has not been documented. The notable exception is Andes virus (ANDV), found in southern South America, where person-to-person transmission has been reported. Always defer to local public health guidance for your region.

Contact a healthcare provider immediately if you develop fever, deep muscle aches, severe headache, or shortness of breath after possible exposure to rodents or rodent droppings. Tell the clinician about your exposure so they can include hantavirus in their assessment. Early supportive care matters.

Hantavirus.ai aggregates publicly available reports from public-health authorities — primarily WHO, CDC, Africa CDC, and peer-reviewed sources. Outbreak data is inherently delayed and incomplete. We are an independent aggregator, not an official authority. Always check primary sources for the most authoritative figures.

Outbreak updates are curated from public sources by our team. Each entry on the news page links to its original source. Country-level case context comes from published WHO, CDC, and regional CDC datasets. Sample/demo entries are clearly labeled.

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