The Origin Of Hantavirus From China And Recognize Its Early Symptoms

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Not yet finished fighting the coronavirus or COVID-19 outbreak globally, now a new virus from China has emerged, namely Hantavirus. But is this disease as dangerous as COVID-19?

A few days ago, a passenger was found dead on the bus and had tested positive for a virus which turned out to be completely different from COVID-19, but more fatal. The unidentified victim was from Yunnan province and was traveling to work in Shandong province.

“He tested positive for #hantavirus. Another 32 people on the bus were tested, "tweeted China's state news agency Global Times as quoted by USA Today.

The virus emerged starting right when China finished quarantine or the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Hantavirus instantly became the main topic of conversation on Twitter's social media, not to mention the news that it also sparked panic among many people on social media.

However, experts were quick to point out that it was not a new virus and claimed that it could not be transmitted between people. Hantavirus actually comes from animals, especially rats.

"Hantavirus first appeared in the 1950s during the American-Korean war in Korea (Hantan river). It spreads from rats. When humans ingest their bodily fluids. Human-to-human transmission is rare," tweeted Swedish scientist Dr. Sumaiya Shaikh.

It should be noted, Hantavirus is contacted through deer mice, a very specific type of rodent. They tend to live in rural forests, and the diseases they carry are transmitted through their saliva, urine, or even feces. So there is no need to worry because Hantavirus is not a new phenomenon, and handling it will not be as troublesome as the current COVID-19 outbreak. Most importantly, the virus cannot be transmitted between humans.

"Please don't panic, unless you plan to eat rats," said Dr. Shaikh.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said hantavirus is rare but puts the mortality rate at 38 percent once it enters the human body itself.

Symptoms can occur up to eight weeks after exposure to fresh urine, feces, or saliva from infected mice. Sometimes it can also come from the bite of an infected mouse or mouse.

However, the symptoms that are caused are similar to the symptoms of COVID-19, where sufferers will feel fever, headache, cough and shortness of breath.

Hantavirus lung syndrome became a disease that had appeared before in the United States (US) in 1995, but there are no known cases of transmission between humans.

"There is no specific treatment, cure, or vaccine for Hantavirus infection. Patients will only often need intensive care to help them get through a period of severe respiratory distress. Therefore, if you have been around rodents and have symptoms of fever, deep muscle pain, and severe shortness of breath, see your doctor immediately, "said the CDC.

According to CDC data, while from 1993 to 2017, there were only 728 confirmed cases of Hantavirus in the US, and most of them were not fatal. By comparison, since late January, when the first known cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the US, there have been 46,805 confirmed cases nationwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Another, in May 1993, Hantavirus outbreaks occurred in areas between Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. The 2012 outbreak in Yosemite sickened 10 people. In seven countries, 17 people were also infected in this outbreak in 2017.