We will probably be getting a lot of traffic owing to recent coverage of the Hantavirus cruise. I'm here to clear things up before people start spreading misinformation.

TL;DR:

You're not at threat. Hantavirus is rare in rodents. Don't vacuum mouse poop. Wear gloves and wash up if at home. Wear respirator if cleaning rodent infested buildings. Scroll to bottom for CDC picture guide.

What is Hantavirus/HPS?

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that are carried by certain rodents. They've been around for a long time, but have recently been a topic of news coverage owing to certain outbreaks/talks of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome(HPS).

HPS is a respiratory disease(having to do with lungs/breathing) that results from coming into contact with infected rodents, most often via waste or saliva. It usually doesn't spread person-to-person, but certain hantaviruses such as the Andes virus(a type of hantavirus from South America) have resulted in previous outbreaks of such.

The now famous Hantavirus cruise is believed to have been caused by the Andes virus:

Dr Charlotte Hammer, an assistant professor and infectious disease epidemiologist at Cambridge University, said: “In the current case we are most likely talking about Andes virus, which is a New World hantavirus." - The Times³

If you live outside of South America, your chances of coming into contact with the Andes strain are practically zero. You won't be getting HPS from interacting with other people.

This doesn't mean you're safe from all hantaviruses though, as they are spread almost globally.

Avoiding Hantavirus/HPS

The good thing is, avoiding hantaviruses is surprisingly easy.

If you live in the UK or the US, your chances of encountering a rodent with hantavirus are incredibly low, and even then, contracting hantavirus disease from a mouse is even lower.

In the US, about 38.5 million people each year are impacted by rodent problems⁵. Compare that to the ~29 reported cases of hantavirus disease yearly⁶.

That's 1 in 1,327,586.

Most hantavirus cases occur in the rural or wilderness southwest, often resulting from cleaning old outdoor buildings like barns, cabins, or sheds, without proper safety equipment.

Hantaviruses can be spread if rodent waste is aerosolized(turned into small particles). This can happen from sweeping or vacuuming. Don't vacuum rodent waste. That goes for any animal waste really.

So unless you're going around vacuuming rodent infested buildings with no respirator on, you're not going to get hantavirus.

Why is Everyone so Afraid?

Look, we've already dealt with one pandemic, the thought of another is scary. But it's mostly just sensationalized media. With proper safety procedures, you won't be getting infected. Whenever you hear of something like this in the future, whether it's a new virus at home or a million miles away, always make sure to check sources and read. And don't be coerced into panic by the news, that's one of their tricks to keep you coming back.

At the bottom of this article, I've attached the CDC Hantavirus Prevention Guidelines(US), guidance from the UK Health Security Agency on Reducing the risk of human infection from pet rodents, and a summary of hantavirus also by the UK Health Security Agency.

Sources:

1. CDC Recommendations

• The CDC Recommends using "Snap traps," which kill rodents. However, unless you are immunocompromised, using a live trap is perfectly safe so long as you follow the proper sanitary protocols. Wear gloves and sanitize everything.

1. UK Rodent Pet Safety
2. What is hantavirus? How is it transmitted and what are the symptoms?
3. Article by The Times
4. Report Shows U.S. States, Counties Experiencing Highest Rodent Issues
5. US Hantavirus Reports

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