Tweets are pouring out about an alleged deadly new virus that emerged in China and was responsible for the death of a man in Yunnan province. It is actually a hantavirus, as the Global Times report. New epidemic to predict? Panic on board the internets! Stop the escalation of anxiety : unlike Covid-19, a recent virus against which medicine has yet to respond, hantavirus is well known to scientists.
A person from Yunnan Province died while on his way back to Shandong Province for work on a chartered bus on Monday. He was tested positive for #hantavirus. Other 32 people on bus were tested. pic.twitter.com/SXzBpWmHvW
– Global Times (@globaltimesnews) March 24, 2020
Why you shouldn’t panic about hantavirus
There is no hantavirus epidemic. First, because of its mode of transmission. Hantavirus can infect humans, but they must be in direct contact with the saliva, urine or feces of a sick rodent – and not all of them! In Europe, it is especially voles who live in forests and dwellings (barns, attics, abandoned huts, etc.) who can transmit it. But this type of virus is not transmitted between menThis type of virus, known since 1993, has never led to an epidemic. Moreover, the patient who recently died from it did not infect any of the people with whom he was in contact.
What is hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are part of the zoonotic family. Symptoms appear between one and six weeks after exposure, infections can vary in severity and can sometimes be fatal. Two types of diseases result from hantaviruses, depending on geolocation. In Europe and Asia, they cause renal hemorrhagic fevers (RHSF) and in the Americas, cardiopulmonary syndrome (SCPH). For now, there is no specific treatment or vaccine, but the symptoms can be managed by medicine that knows them well.
However, they are very rare! Only 728 cases have been recorded in the United States since 1993, 27 years therefore! In addition, simple hygiene measures allow you to protect yourself from it. Avoid them abandoned premises, for spaces unoccupied for a long time that you would like to clean, equip yourself with a mask because the transmission can be done by dust. Fight against the presence of rodents, be careful not to attract them with food left in the open. Protect wounds with a bandage before working with wood and do not handle dead or living rodents without gloves. Wash your hands well in case of contact.
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