Hantaviruses are transmissible from rodents to humans, so it is necessary to pay attention to hygiene. “For example, if a can is contaminated with rodent droppings, we can become infected when we drink from it,” Adriana Mečochová, head of the Department of Epidemiology of the Public Health Office (ÚVZ) of the Slovak Republic, stated this in the TASR TV Zdravie program.
- Hantaviruses are transmitted from rodents to humans through contaminated secretions and dust.
- Contaminated cans, food and berries must always be thoroughly washed.
- In Slovakia, hantavirus Puumala causes milder epidemic nephropathy with regional occurrence.
- The incubation time of hantavirus diseases lasts approximately three weeks with possible deviations.
- There is no vaccination against hantavirus and the treatment is only symptomatic.
In this case, she recommended washing the can before use, or pouring the drink into a glass. Food stored in cellars or warehouses can also be contaminated by rodent droppings. Forest workers or nature visitors should also be careful when consuming forest fruits.
“They must be washed before consumption,” she pointed out. Even food that people take on trips, and food for forestry, agricultural and construction workers in the field, for camping vacationers and the like, is must be stored in tightly closed containers. The expert also does not recommend drinking water from forest wells.
In Slovakia, hantaviruses cause so-called epidemic nephropathy, which is a milder form of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. “This disease is transmitted in our country by the Puumala virus, which is the most common cause of hantavirus infections in Central and Northern Europe,” Mečochová explained. As she added, the highest morbidity in Slovakia occurs in the east of Slovakia. In Slovakia, several dozen diseases are reported every year.
Hantaviruses are a group of RNA viruses belonging to the Hantaviridae family. “We know of more than 38 types of hantaviruses, and they are viruses that are primarily transmitted by rodents such as voles, mice or rats,” explained Mečochová.
According to her, a person can become infected by inhaling dust or an aerosol contaminated with rodent excrement, such as urine, feces or saliva. “It is especially when cleaning various cottages, cellars or warehouses,” she stated. Hantaviruses can cause illness such as hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. “The incubation period of the disease is approximately three weeks, but it can range from ten days to six weeks,” she specified.
In connection with the case of Andean hantavirus recently confirmed on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, she pointed out that in that case, it is the only hantavirus that is transmitted from person to person. That is why quarantine is necessary.
“This virus is transmissible in limited cases from person to person, but it is really in close and long-term contact, often in closed spaces,” evaluated Mečochová. Andean hantavirus has not yet been confirmed in Slovakia. “The disease is not expected to be transmitted between rodents that occur in Europe, and thus human-to-human transmission could occur,” she assessed, saying that fear and panic are not appropriate.
Treatment for hantavirus infections is symptomatic. “Primary treatment is aimed at managing the symptoms of the disease,” she stated that there is currently no vaccine that has been developed specifically against hantavirus infections.
According to her, the initial symptoms are more like the flu or some kind of virus. These are mainly fever, chills, muscle aches, especially in the shoulders, back, thighs and headaches. Abdominal pain, vomiting may be associated. Typical symptoms appear later. “With hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome, a dry cough and shortness of breath begin after a few days. This disease can progress to acute lung failure,” she pointed out.
At the same time, she added that hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome is first manifested by fever and chills, then low blood pressure, kidney failure and bleeding conditions are associated. “Both of these diseases can also have a fatal course,” pointed out Mečochová.
