As if the Coronavirus was not enough, a new virus called the Hantavirus emerges as a man in china has died from it.
The man was from Yunnan province,. According to reports he was on a chartered bus heading to his workplace in Shandong province.
The news comes as China has just lifted it’s lockdown from COVID-19, which originated in the Asian nation. The news of the new virus has sparked panic among many on social media, with #hantavirus trending.
“The #Hantavirus first emerged in 1950s in the American-Korean war in Korea (Hantan river). It spreads from rat/mice if humans ingest their body fluids. Human to human transmission is rare,” Swedish scientist Dr. Sumaiya Shaikh tweeted. However, the CDC also stated that “In Chile and Argentina, rare cases of person-to-person transmission have occurred”.
“Please do not panic, unless you plan to eat rats,” she stressed.
32 other people that were on the bus along with the Yunnan man was also tested.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said hantavirus is rare — but put the death rate at 38 percent.
Symptoms for the Hantavirus typically occurs up to 8 weeks “after exposure to fresh urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents,” the CDC explained, noting it can occasionally also come from bites from infected rats or mice.
The symptoms sound a bit similar to the ones for Coronavirus as people who were infected with Coronavirus reported having fevers, headaches, coughing and shortness of breath. Rep. Ben McAdams recently saying stated he “felt like I had a belt around my chest.”
Much like Coronavirus, “there is no specific treatment, cure, or vaccine for hantavirus infection,” the CDC warned, saying patients often need intensive care to “help them through the period of severe respiratory distress.”
“Therefore, if you have been around rodents and have symptoms of fever, deep muscle aches, and severe shortness of breath, see your doctor immediately,” it warns.
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