The doctor explained how to recognize hantavirus and whether there is a treatment
In its early stages, hantavirus infection often masquerades as a cold, acute respiratory viral infection (ARVI), or the flu, making it difficult to diagnose in a timely manner. The doctor explained which symptoms to look out for and why there are currently no widely available vaccines or clear treatment protocols for this virus.
Alla Myronenko, MD, PhD, a virologist, discussed this on the “Kyiv24” broadcast.
“A hantavirus infection can start like a common viral illness: fever, weakness, and muscle pain, especially in the lower back. Sometimes a rash may appear,” she noted.
There is no specific treatment for hantavirus, so the success of treatment depends on how quickly a person seeks medical help, she added.
As is known, an outbreak of hantavirus—a disease transmitted by rats that can affect the lungs and kidneys—has occurred on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The virus is spreading among the ship’s passengers, and fatalities have been reported. Many people fear the emergence of a hantavirus pandemic, as happened with the coronavirus.
Medical experts still do not know how the hantavirus began spreading on the cruise ship. According to one theory, a passenger may have been infected at a landfill on the outskirts of Ushuaia, a place where tourists often go birdwatching and where trash attracts rats and mice. Ushuaia is the capital of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in southern Argentina, where the cruise ship MV Hondius began its voyage.
Argentine officials, who spoke anonymously with some media outlets, stated that this is their primary hypothesis. At the same time, local authorities deny this assumption. The only way to protect yourself is to maintain strict hygiene.
Dr. Oleksiy Shved advises carefully planning trips, washing hands, wearing masks when cleaning contaminated areas, and immediately consulting a doctor if flu-like symptoms, fever, or lung damage occur.
“And now the summer season is just beginning, with cleaning taking place in villages and at summer homes, and that is exactly where you might encounter it. It can be dried out after mice have left their biological materials there. The virus is quite dangerous, meaning it has a high mortality rate,” he noted.
Hantavirus outbreak: experts assess the risks of a global pandemic.
We also reported: Among the crew members of the MV Hondius, where a hantavirus outbreak was recorded, are five Ukrainian citizens. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that so far, no signs of a deterioration in their health have been detected.
The disease on board the MV Hondius, owned by the Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, which has claimed the lives of three passengers, may have been introduced by Argentine rats or mice.
