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Dr K K Aggarwal, President CMAAO, HCFI and Past National President IMA
New Delhi, March 25, 2020 ;
Hanta viruses comprise a genus (Orthohanta virus) of enveloped viruses within the order Bunyavirales.
All medically important hanta viruses are carried by rodents of the families Muridae and Cricetidae. These pathogens are associated with two severe acute febrile illnesses: Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS; caused by Hanta viruses of the Old World)
Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS; caused by Hanta viruses of the New World), also known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).Both are carried and transmitted by wild rodents.
Patients acquire the infection via aerosols of rodent excreta, usually in closed, poorly ventilated buildings or during cleaning.
China bears the highest annual incidence of hantavirus disease. From 16,000 to 100,000 or more cases of HFRS are reported every year in China, and thousands of cases are likely to occur in Russia. By comparison, only 728 cases of HCPS have been documented in the United States. Clinical episodes of hantavirus disease also occur in other parts of the world, such as Europe and South America
Case-fatality ratios are highly dependent upon the species of infecting virus. In some regions of the world, there is evidence for considerable numbers of asymptomatic or subclinical infections, but, in other regions, it is difficult to find persons who have been exposed without a history of disease.
