Hantaviruses are a group of single-stranded RNA viruses of the Hantaviridae family that are carried by rodent reservoir species, in which they typically establish long-term asymptomatic infection [1][2]. Only a limited subset of the many identified hantaviruses are known to cause human disease, and these infections are associated with two major clinical syndromes: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), mainly in Europe and Asia, and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), predominantly in the Americas [1][2].
Disease overview
Hantavirus infection
汉坦病毒感染
Evidence-backed informationEN 5/7 applicable sections · ZH 5/7 applicable sectionsUpdated Sep 3, 2026
Hantaviruses are rodent-borne, single-stranded RNA viruses that cause severe human disease worldwide, with no licensed vaccines or specific antivirals currently available [1][2]. Each virus is typically associated with a specific rodent reservoir, and human infection most often follows contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings, or saliva [1]. The two main clinical syndromes are hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), mainly reported in Europe and Asia, and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), predominantly reported in the Americas [1][2]. Case-fatality rates can be high, with severe renal or respiratory failure documented in some settings, and prevention centres on reducing rodent contact [3][1][4].
Read the full clinical and epidemiological profile6
Human hantavirus infections can range from asymptomatic or mild illness to severe disease, and many patients present with non-specific early manifestations such as fever, headache, muscle aches, and gastrointestinal symptoms including abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting [1]. In HPS, illness may progress rapidly to cough, shortness of breath, accumulation of fluid in the lungs, and shock, while HFRS can evolve through later stages marked by low blood pressure, bleeding disorders, and kidney failure [1]. Early clinical features overlap with other febrile or respiratory illnesses, including influenza, viral pneumonia, leptospirosis, dengue, and sepsis, making early diagnosis challenging and dependent on a careful history of rodent exposure, occupational and environmental risks, and travel to endemic areas [3]. Severe disease can lead to renal or respiratory failure with fatality rates reported up to approximately 40% in some series [4].
Worldwide, an estimated 10,000 to over 100,000 hantavirus infections are thought to occur each year, with the largest burden in Asia and Europe, although hantaviruses are recognised across parts of Europe, Asia, North America, and South America [1][4]. HFRS predominates in Europe and Asia, whereas HPS is predominantly reported in the Americas, and the epidemiology is shaped by the geographic distribution of the specific rodent reservoirs that maintain each virus [1][4]. Case-fatality rates can reach up to approximately 40% in some settings, reflecting the severity of renal and respiratory complications associated with severe disease [4].
Human hantavirus infection is primarily acquired through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings, or saliva, including via inhalation of virus-containing aerosols generated from contaminated environments [3][1]. To date, documented human-to-human transmission is limited and has been reported only for Andes virus, which is endemic in parts of the Americas [3][1]. In health-care settings, the risk of nosocomial transmission, including from Andes virus, is considered very low when standard and transmission-based precautions are applied, and airborne precautions are recommended during aerosol-generating procedures [3].
Prevention is based primarily on reducing contact between people and rodents and on environmental measures that limit exposure to rodent excreta [3]. During outbreaks or when cases are suspected, early identification and isolation of cases, monitoring of close contacts, and application of standard infection prevention measures are important to limit further spread [3]. In health-care environments, standard precautions, including hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, and safe handling of blood and body fluids, should be applied to all patients, with transmission-based precautions added for suspected or confirmed hantavirus infection and airborne precautions used during aerosol-generating procedures [3]. At present, no licensed vaccines are available, and candidate antivirals and immunotherapies remain under investigation [2][4].
- 1World Health Organization. Hantavirus [Internet]. cited 3 Sept 2026.Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/hantavirus
- 2Afzal S et al. Hantavirus: an overview and advancements in therapeutic approaches for infection. Front Microbiol. 2023. PMID: 37901807. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1233433.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37901807/
- 3World Health Organization. Hantavirus [Internet]. cited 3 Sept 2026.Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hantavirus
- 4Engdahl TB et al. Humoral Immunity to Hantavirus Infection. mSphere. 2020 Jul 15. PMID: 32669473. doi: 10.1128/mSphere.00482-20.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32669473/
Coverage
Reporting countries and regions
AustriaAT
BelgiumBE
BrazilBR
BulgariaBG
CanadaCA
CroatiaHR
CyprusCY
CzechiaCZ
EstoniaEE
FinlandFI
FranceFR
GermanyDE
GreeceGR
Hong Kong, ChinaHK
HungaryHU
IcelandIS
IrelandIE
ItalyIT
LatviaLV
LiechtensteinLI
LithuaniaLT
LuxembourgLU
MaltaMT
NetherlandsNL
NorwayNO
PolandPL
PortugalPT
RomaniaRO
SlovakiaSK
SloveniaSI
SpainES
SwedenSE
SwitzerlandCH
United KingdomGB
United StatesUS
Trends by reporting country
Monthly patterns over time
Research Radar
Recent related research
When rare zoonoses travel: Andes virus, hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome, and the preparedness gap
International Journal of Infectious Diseases
Outbreak of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Los Santos, Panama, 1999–2000
Emerging Infectious Diseases
Literature links are provided for discovery and do not alter or validate the surveillance series above.
Data access
Page dataset index with source links and update metadata.
Official sourcesAuthority, cadence, notes40
Austria AGES Radar for Infectious Diseases
Austria
AGES Radar monthly national source. Internal ingestion retains native categories; public release is disabled pending licence review.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Belgium Annual Baseline
Belgium
Belgium annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Bulgaria Annual Baseline
Bulgaria
Bulgaria annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Brazil DATASUS SINAN
Brazil
Brazil Ministry of Health DATASUS/SINAN public DBC microdata aggregated to national monthly notification counts.
Canada PHAC CNDSS Annual
Canada
Canada is the national jurisdiction; subdivision feeds are registered separately.
Switzerland FOPH IDD
Switzerland
Switzerland FOPH/BAG IDD mandatory reporting API normalized to national case rows. Monthly series may use the dashboard CHFL aggregate where CH-only monthly series are not exposed.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Cyprus Annual Baseline
Cyprus
Cyprus annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Czechia Annual Baseline
Czechia
Czechia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Germany RKI SurvStat 2.0
Germany
RKI SurvStat national weekly notification export; raw ZIP exports are retained and recent weeks are overwritten for revisions.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Estonia Annual Baseline
Estonia
Estonia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Spain Annual Baseline
Spain
Spain annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Finland THL Infectious Diseases Register
Finland
Finland THL Infectious Diseases Register national monthly case counts. The current month is ingested as provisional and the latest three months are refreshed for source revisions.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — France Annual Baseline
France
France annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — United Kingdom Annual Baseline
United Kingdom
United Kingdom annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Greece Annual Baseline
Greece
Greece annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Hong Kong, China CHP Notifiable Diseases
Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China CHP annual notifiable infectious disease CSVs normalized to national monthly totals
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Croatia Annual Baseline
Croatia
Croatia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Hungary Annual Baseline
Hungary
Hungary annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Ireland HPSC Notifiable Diseases Hub
Ireland
Ireland HPSC national weekly notifiable-disease totals from the official ArcGIS FeatureServer. Internal ingestion is enabled; public release remains disabled pending written redistribution permission.
Iceland Directorate of Health Annual Dashboard
Iceland
National annual case notifications by disease. Published values can be revised retrospectively and remain annual period totals.
Iceland Directorate of Health STI Dashboard
Iceland
Monthly STI diagnosis facts from laboratory and registry surveillance; the official dashboard is published on a quarterly schedule.
Iceland Directorate of Health Respiratory Dashboard
Iceland
ISO-week respiratory diagnosis counts. Hospitalizations, samples, and vaccination indicators are separate measures and are not counted as diagnoses.
Iceland Directorate of Health Historical Registry
Iceland
Historical official registry tables for 1997–2021, with annual totals and disease-specific monthly notification facts retained at source grain.
Iceland Directorate of Health Legacy ICD Monthly
Iceland
Historical Saga EHR ICD encounter counts for 1997–2020. This clinical measure is non-comparable with registry notifications and is kept separate.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Italy Annual Baseline
Italy
Italy annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Liechtenstein Annual Baseline
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Lithuania Annual Baseline
Lithuania
Lithuania annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Luxembourg Annual Baseline
Luxembourg
Luxembourg annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Latvia Annual Baseline
Latvia
Latvia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Malta Annual Baseline
Malta
Malta annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Netherlands Annual Baseline
Netherlands
Netherlands annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Norway FHI MSIS Statistics Bank
Norway
Norway FHI MSIS national monthly notifications from the official Allvis frontend API; adapter contract checks guard the unversioned endpoint.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Poland Annual Baseline
Poland
Poland annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Portugal Annual Baseline
Portugal
Portugal annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Romania Annual Baseline
Romania
Romania annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Sweden Public Health Agency SmiNet
Sweden
Sweden SmiNet national monthly reported cases from the official Public Health Agency statistics pages; public release is enabled with closed-month publication and revisable recent-month refreshes.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Slovenia Annual Baseline
Slovenia
Slovenia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Slovakia Annual Baseline
Slovakia
Slovakia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
US CDC NNDSS
United States
CDC National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System provisional data.
US CDC NHSS HIV
United States
CDC NNDSS weekly data plus NHSS annual national HIV diagnoses