Hantavirus: Brazil has reported 10 causalities due to Hantavirus infection.
As per the official figure, 22 cases of Hantavirus have been reported so far with 10 confirmed deaths in Brazil.
In Brazil, rodents, known as rice mouse and wood mouse (Oligoryzomys sp. and Akodon sp, respectively) are known to be hantavirus reservoirs.
They generally differ from the normal ones as they are smaller where an adult male reaches up to 25 grams. They are generally found living close to crops.
When the virus infects, it transmits a disease called Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome (HCPS).
The disease is basically an acute viral zoonosis which is caused due to an infection from an RNA virus. It belongs to Orthohantavirus genus and Hantaviridae family.
One reason why humans are infected is because of inhalation of aerosols. And this can happen in the form of dust particles due to sweeping. It can also happen because of the saliva, feces, and urine of infected rodents.
There are some other forms of transmission which can also exist. They can be caused due to rodent bites and skin abrasions.
Some other transmissions include contact of the virus with the conjunctival mucosa, mouth or nose via hands contaminated with rodent excreta.
The incubation period is generally 1 to 5 weeks after contacting the virus. Some of the most common symptoms of Hantavirus include:
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Nausea
- Abdominal pain
- Lower back pain
- Headache
- Joint pain
- Fever
Now, after the infection reaches at the cardiopulmonary stage, the infected person often complains of low blood pressure, dry cough, heart rate intensity, fast breathing rate, difficulty breathing and fever.
In some cases, a person may also develop non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema. At this time, the person may experience an acute respiratory failure along with circulatory shock.
Hantavirus: Control Measures
The infection due to hantavirus can be prevented. In order to do that you can initiate cleaning the land around your house.
In the same way, you can also make sure to dispose existing debris. Never forget to store food items in closed rodent-proof containers.
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