Five regions of the Russian Federation are suffering from a mouse infestation

In 2026, a sharp increase in the incidence of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), also known as “mouse fever,” was recorded in a number of Russian regions. 

According to the data provided, in the Nizhny Novgorod and Saratov regions, as well as in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, and Udmurtia, a diagnosis of “mouse fever” in at least 1,512 patients, of whom 656 cases were in Udmurtia, 367 in Bashkortostan, and 278 in the Nizhny Novgorod region—a figure 2.2 times higher than the long-term average.

The causative agent of this acute infectious disease is the hantavirus, which is carried by rodents (particularly field mice and gray rats). The infection is transmitted to humans primarily through airborne dust during contact with animal secretions, as well as through contaminated food or broken skin, causing high fever, kidney damage, and systemic toxicity. Experts note that the rise in cases is linked to an increase in the rodent population and their seasonal migration into residential buildings; however, the virus is not transmitted from person to person.

Source: Shot.

In Russia’s Moscow Region, five people who had come into contact with a suspected carrier of the monkeypox virus were placed under medical supervision and sent for testing. The patients underwent the necessary laboratory tests to confirm or rule out the diagnosis.

In St. Petersburg, five cases of monkeypox were confirmed among patients who were hospitalized with suspected monkeypox. According to Interia, the TASS news agency reported this, citing the press service of the S. P. Botkin Clinical Hospital for Infectious Diseases.