Hantavirus

What Is Hantavirus?

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses usually spread by rodents like rats or mice. There are many different hantaviruses; but only one strain, the Andes virus, can spread person-to-person through close contact. Patients can get very sick or die from hantavirus infection, but the virus rarely infects people.

A Quick Guide to Hantavirus

How it spreads

• Mainly through contact with urine, droppings, or saliva from rodents (mice or rats)
• Through rodent scratches or bites
• The Andes hantavirus sometimes spreads person-to-person

Common symptoms

Early symptoms are flu-like and hard to separate from other diseases:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle or joint aches
• Feeling very tired
• Nausea or stomach pain

Seek help immediately if these symptoms develop after a few days:

• Coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Chest tightness

It may mean a severe form of the disease is developing in the lungs.

Impact

Infections are rare but can be fatal. The serious forms of disease are different on different continents:

• 38% death rate in the Americas
• 15% death rate in Europe and Asia

Vaccine?

No

Can it be cured?

No. Treatment aims to manage symptoms.

How Common or Serious is Hantavirus?

Hantavirus infections are not common, but they can be very serious. There are roughly 10,000 to 100,000 infections worldwide each year, mostly in Europe and Asia. Fewer than 1,000 infections have ever been reported in the United States.

Hantaviruses can cause two different forms of serious disease.

• • The lung form is most common in the Americas. It is called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). More than a third (38%) of people who have developed HPS have died.
  • The kidney form is more common in Europe and Asia. It is called hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). Some viruses are more dangerous than others.
    • Less harmful strains have a death rate below 1%.
    • The most dangerous can kill up to 15% of patients.
    • One hantavirus that causes HFRS is found worldwide. It is called the Seoul virus. It’s less severe and generally is not fatal.

What Causes Hantavirus Infection?

Rats, mice, and other rodents are the main spreaders of hantaviruses. Their urine, droppings, and saliva can carry the virus. Patients get infected by breathing in particles contaminated with these materials. Rodent bites or scratches can also spread the disease.

The Andes hantavirus can sometimes pass from person to person. However, it mainly spreads through rodents.

Who is Most at Risk for Hantavirus?

Infections are rare but can happen when people clean up unused cabins, barns, or other enclosed spaces. Rodents nest in these places. Their urine, droppings, and saliva can contaminate dust or dirt that gets stirred up during cleaning.

People who work on farms or in forestry are at risk. They are more likely to come into contact with rodents.

Sleeping in rodent-infested rooms is also a risk.

People in close contact with someone with Andes hantavirus are at risk of getting the disease themselves. (People with other forms of hantavirus infection do not spread it to others.) Catching Andes virus from another person usually requires being physically close or having prolonged exposure. Contact with an infected person’s saliva, like sharing drinks or dishes, also can spread the virus.

Symptoms: What Does Hantavirus Feel Like?

Hantavirus infection can be hard to identify in the early stages. The symptoms are similar to many other diseases.

Tell a healthcare professional if you have these symptoms and have been in contact with rodents or rodent-infested areas:

• Feeling very tired
• Fever
• Muscle aches
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Chills
• Stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting

Symptoms usually appear within 4 days to 2 weeks but can take up to 8 weeks.

Four to 10 days after these symptoms appear, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) can develop, including:

• Coughing
• Trouble breathing
• Chest tightness

Get medical help immediately. This is a life-threatening condition. About 38% of people who develop HPS die.

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) has the same early, flu-like symptoms and sometimes also:

• A flushed face
• Redness in the eyes
• Rash
• Blurred vision

HFRS can progress to internal bleeding, shock, and kidney failure. Depending on the virus, HFRS is fatal in between 1% and 15% of cases.

Prevention

There is no vaccine for hantavirus. The best way to prevent infection is to keep rodents out of living spaces.

Do not enter a closed space where rodents may have lived or been active without opening up or airing out the space and wearing a well-fitting mask.

If you find rodent droppings, urine, or bedding, DO NOT sweep or vacuum them. Instead:

• Wear rubber gloves
• Spray until very wet with disinfectant
  • Look for the word “disinfectant” on the label of household products
  • Or make your own. Dilute 1 part bleach in 9 parts water.

• Let sit for 5 minutes
• Wipe up with paper towels and throw them away
• Mop or sponge the area with diluted bleach or disinfectant
• Wash gloves before removing
• Wash hands

For more information on cleaning up rodent-infested areas, see this brochure from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: You Can Prevent Hantavirus – How to Protect Yourself and Your Family from Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome in the United States.

Treatment

There is no specific treatment for hantavirus. Care focuses on rest, hydration, and treating symptoms. Patients with HPS may need supplemental oxygen. HFRS patients may need dialysis. Early treatment is critical.

Reviewed May 2026

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization