Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses that naturally infect rodents and can occasionally spread to people.
Key facts
- Hantaviruses are a group of viruses carried by rodents that can cause severe disease in humans.
- People usually get infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva.
- Infection with hantaviruses can cause a range of illnesses, including severe disease and death.
- In the Americas, hantaviruses can cause hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), a severe respiratory illness, with a case fatality rate up to 50%.
- Andes virus, found in South America, is a currently known hantavirus for which limited human‑to‑human transmission among contacts has been documented.
- In Europe and Asia, hantaviruses cause haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).