Hantavirus infection

Hantavirus infection is a viral infection caused by hantaviruses, with human disease classically expressed as HFRS and HCPS/HPS ^[1][2]. One review distinguishes HFRS as being caused by Old World hantaviruses and HCPS as being caused by New World hantaviruses ^[1]. The available sources characterize the disease primarily by its vascular and capillary-leak pathobiology rather than by a single uniform clinical syndrome ^[2].

The clinical spectrum of hantavirus infection ranges from subclinical, mild, and moderate illness to severe disease, at least in HFRS, with severity varying in part by causative agent ^[1]. The pathogenesis is marked by increased vascular permeability and acute thrombocytopenia, and autopsy findings commonly show increased permeability in microvascular beds ^[1][2]. One review indicates that the vascular endothelium is a prime target, while another notes that endothelial cells are susceptible to infection but that the virus does not cause cytopathic effects, implying an immune-mediated contribution to capillary leakage ^[2]. For HFRS, Hantaan virus, Amur virus, and Dobrava virus are described as more severe, whereas Seoul virus is moderate and Puumala virus and Saaremaa virus are mild, with mortality rates reported as 5-15% for the more severe group and <1% for the milder group ^[1]. Source-backed detail on the full symptom sequence and complications of HCPS is not yet available in the provided snippets ^[1][2].

The available material indicates that recognition of hantavirus infection has improved worldwide over recent decades, but both the amplitude and magnitude of outbreaks have been increasing ^[1]. New hantaviruses with unknown pathogenic potential have been identified in a variety of insectivore hosts, and new geographic distributions have been reported, including discovery of several new species in Africa ^[1]. The disease is therefore relevant to surveillance in both established and newly recognized ecologies, but the provided sources do not specify population incidence, routine burden estimates, or seasonality ^[1]. One travel-focused review mentions pulmonary hantavirus infection among zoonotic diseases associated with rodents, underscoring the importance of rodent-linked exposure contexts in public-health monitoring ^[3].

Transmission is described as zoonotic and mainly linked to contact with infected animals or their excretions, with pulmonary hantavirus infection specifically associated with rodents ^[3]. The provided snippets do not support a broader statement about person-to-person spread, although one review notes that human-to-human transmission is generally rare for zoonotic diseases in this context ^[3]. Source-backed detail on specific environmental settings, aerosol persistence, or occupational exposure categories is not yet available in the supplied material ^[3][1].

The provided sources identify exposure to rodents or their excretions as the key risk context, and one travel-associated review specifically links pulmonary hantavirus infection to rodents ^[3]. The literature also notes novel hantaviruses in insectivore hosts, suggesting that surveillance should remain open to emerging animal reservoirs, although human risk groups are not otherwise specified in the snippets ^[1]. Source-backed detail on occupational, age-based, or comorbidity-associated risk groups is not yet available ^[3][1].

The source material supports prevention framed around avoiding contact with infected animals and their excretions, particularly rodent-associated exposures ^[3]. Beyond exposure control, the provided snippets do not give specific measures such as sanitation practices, rodent management protocols, outbreak containment guidance, or vaccine recommendations ^[3][1]. As a result, prevention in this profile should be interpreted conservatively as zoonotic-exposure reduction rather than as a detailed control guideline ^[3].

In surveillance, hantavirus infection should be read as a rodent-associated zoonosis with emerging outbreak activity and expanding recognized geographic range, rather than as a single fixed syndrome ^[3][1]. Case classification may need to distinguish HFRS from HCPS/HPS, since the sources identify these as the two major human syndromes ^[1][2]. Because the available material emphasizes increasing outbreak magnitude and the discovery of new viral species with uncertain pathogenicity, atypical presentations and new ecologies warrant attention in monitoring systems ^[1].

1. 1 Avšič-Županc T et al. Hantavirus infections. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2019 Apr. PMID: 24750436. doi: 10.1111/1469-0691.12291. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24750436/
2. 2 Khaiboullina SF et al. Hantavirus immunology. Viral Immunol. 2002. PMID: 12513931. doi: 10.1089/088282402320914548. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12513931/
3. 3 Geerdes-Fenge HF et al. [Travel-associated pneumonias]. Pneumologie. 2014 Oct. PMID: 25290923. doi: 10.1055/s-0034-1378081. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25290923/
4. 4 Hantavirus infection. Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases. 1997. doi: 10.1097/00001432-199704000-00007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00001432-199704000-00007
5. 5 Hantavirus infection. Journal of Medical Microbiology. 1994. doi: 10.1099/00222615-41-2-71. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1099/00222615-41-2-71
6. 6 Hantavirus Infection. Definitions. 2020. doi: 10.32388/onawuk. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32388/onawuk

ICD-10

ICD-11

Total cases

20K

Peak month

2016-03

Coverage

5 reporting countries · 2000-08-01 → 2026-06-20