Hantavirus in China claims one life, 32 others tested positive; know all about this virus

Image courtesy: Twitter/Global Times

New Delhi: Amid coronavirus outbreak scare, other diseases are also tossing their ugly heads. Reports of swine flu and bird flu are also being reported from India and other countries, but there is a shocking news of a man tested positive for hantavirus--another deadly virus-- has come from China.

China’s Global Times on Tuesday (March 24) tweeted that the man from Yunnan Province died while on his way back to Shandong Province for work on a bus on Monday. The 32 other people trevelling on the bus were also reportedly tested for the virus.

Global Times tweeted, "A person from Yunnan Province died while on his way back to Shandong Province for work on a chartered bus on Monday. He was tested positive for #hantavirus. Other 32 people on bus were tested."

A person from Yunnan Province died while on his way back to Shandong Province for work on a chartered bus on Monday. He was tested positive for #hantavirus. Other 32 people on bus were tested. pic.twitter.com/SXzBpWmHvW — Global Times (@globaltimesnews) March 24, 2020

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses which mainly spread by rodents and can cause other diseases in people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Notably, it can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).

According to the CDC, the disease is not airborne and can only spread to people if they come in contact with urine, feces, and saliva of rodents and less frequently by a bite from an infected host.

The symptoms of HPS include fatigue, fever, and muscle aches, along with headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems, which can lead to coughing and shortness of breath and can be fatal, the CDC stated.

The CDC has reportedly stated that rodent population control is the primary strategy for preventing hantavirus infections.