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Hantavirus explained: How it spreads and whether there is a cure
11th May, 2026 07:44 PM
Hantaviruses, which are named after a river in South Korea, describe a family of viruses rather than one single disease.
There are more than 20 different viral species, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), almost all of them linked to infection by rodents, typically rats and mice, through dried urine and droppings.
But one strain, known as the Andes virus, is thought to spread by human-to-human transmission, although very rarely. It has been confirmed in two passengers, the British man in hospital in Johannesburg and the Dutch woman, who died, according to South Africa’s health minister.
The Andes virus is mostly found in Argentina and Chile.
How does hantavirus spread?
It’s normally spread when people come into close contact with droppings, urine and saliva from rodents.
This usually happens by breathing in the virus, for example, when rodent urine and droppings that contain hantavirus are stirred up into the air.
The virus can also be caught from a bite from a rodent, such as a rat.
Only one strain is known to spread from person to person, although very rarely, the Andes strain.
Where there is person-to-person transmission, it is through very close, prolonged contact with someone with symptoms.
The way hantavirus spreads is different to flu, which is transmitted through droplets when people cough or sneeze.
“We’re not talking about casual contact from very far away from one another,” WHO official Dr Maria van Kerkhove told the BBC.
What are the symptoms, and how deadly is hantavirus?
The virus can cause two severe illnesses. The first, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), often starts with fatigue, fever, and muscle aches, followed by headaches, dizziness, chills, and abdominal issues.
But it is possible that respiratory symptoms, then severe breathing difficulties, develop, and at that point, patients need urgent medical attention.
This is one of the main illnesses caused by the Andes strain, with a mortality rate of 20-40%.
The incubation period for the disease is also a complicating factor – it can take anywhere between one and eight weeks for symptoms to appear.
The second illness, Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal syndrome (HFRS), which starts looking like the flu, can go on to affect the kidneys and lead to low blood pressure, internal bleeding, and acute kidney failure.
Is there a vaccine or treatment for hantavirus?
There is no specific treatment for hantavirus infections, but early medical support can improve survival.
The type of care recommended can include oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation and even dialysis.
Patients who are very ill with severe symptoms may need to be admitted to hospitals and treated in intensive care units.
New treatments are being trialled.
There are currently no widely available vaccines to protect against the virus. However, some are being used in China and South Korea against strains that are common there.
How many cases of hantavirus are reported globally?
There are an estimated 150,000 cases of HFRS worldwide each year, primarily in Europe and Asia, according to a report from the National Institutes of Health. More than half of the reported cases typically occur in China.
The latest data from the US shows that there were 890 cases of hantavirus in the country from 1993 to 2023.
Have there been death cases?
In February 2025, Betsy Arakawa, the wife of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, died from a respiratory illness linked to hantavirus.
Medical investigators believe Arakawa contracted HPS – the most common strain in the US – which led to her death.
Nests and some dead rodents were found in the outbuildings of her house, where she was found.
In late 2018, there was an Argentinian outbreak that was traced back to people who had attended a party. A single person with the virus is thought to have unwittingly spread the virus to 34 confirmed cases, with 11 deaths.
