Hantavirus: Prevention and What To Do If Infected

Based on WHO and CDC guidance. Updated May 2026.

What Is Hantavirus?

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses carried by rodents. Humans typically become infected through contact with infected rodent urine, droppings, or saliva, or by breathing in contaminated dust. Most strains do not spread between people.

The Andes virus, the strain driving the 2026 outbreak, is the only known hantavirus capable of limited human-to-human transmission. It causes Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), which can be fatal if not treated rapidly.

Symptoms

Symptoms typically appear 1 to 6 weeks after exposure. The disease progresses in two stages:

How To Avoid Infection

The primary route of infection is inhaling dust contaminated with rodent droppings, urine, or nesting material. Before cleaning any enclosed space that may have had rodent activity, ventilate it for at least 30 minutes. Always wear gloves and an N95 respirator, and use damp cloths soaked in a 1:10 bleach solution rather than dry sweeping, which launches infectious particles into the air.

Seal holes and gaps in walls and foundations to prevent rodents entering your home, and store food and water in rodent-proof containers. When working outdoors or camping in endemic areas, avoid setting up near burrows or areas with visible droppings. Dead rodents should be disposed of using double-bagged gloves and disinfectant and never handled with bare hands.

If You Think You Are Infected

1. Call emergency services or go to an emergency room immediately. Do not wait to see if symptoms improve. Early hospitalisation dramatically improves survival.
2. Tell the medical team about any recent potential exposure: travel to South America, contact with rodents, or contact with a confirmed case.
3. Do not take aspirin or ibuprofen without medical advice, as these can worsen complications.
4. Isolate from others at home if waiting for care, particularly important for Andes virus where close-contact spread is possible.

Treatment

There is currently no specific approved antiviral treatment for hantavirus. Treatment is entirely supportive and requires hospital care: supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure, IV fluids to stabilise blood pressure and kidney function, and in the most severe cases, ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) at specialist centres. Patients can deteriorate within hours, making early admission critical. Case fatality for HPS ranges from 35 to 50 percent without prompt intensive care.

Who Is Most at Risk

Anyone can contract hantavirus, but risk is elevated for outdoor workers, farmers, and people in construction near rodent habitats, as well as campers and hikers in endemic regions of South America. Travellers to Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Panama face ongoing exposure risk. In the context of Andes virus, healthcare workers treating confirmed HPS patients and close contacts of cases from the 2026 MV Hondius outbreak should remain vigilant and seek guidance from their health authority.