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Hantaviruses - which are carried by rodents in many parts of the world - are contracted by humans primarily through the inhalation or ingestion of aerosolized rodent feces, urine, saliva.
Once infected, however, humans are sometimes able to transmit the virus to those they are in close contact with.
Scientists have identified dozens of viruses within the genus Hantavirus (named after the Hantaan River of Korea), with mortality that varies from 1%-2% for some varieties (i.e. Seoul Virus, Puumala Virus) to more than 30% for the North American Sin Nombre and South American Andes Virus.
In humans, there are two severe (sometimes fatal) diseases caused by Hantavirus: Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) and Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS).HFRS is found in Europe, Asia, and Africa, while HPS is found in the Americas (North, Central and South).
While relatively rare, every year the U.S. reports between 10 and 50 Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) cases, of which, roughly 35% prove fatal. Cases have been reported in 35 states (see map below), with 96% of all cases reported west of the Mississippi River.
For the past few days there have been reports of an unusually large outbreak of Hantavirus in the small village of Epuyén in the Patagonian province of Chubut. The local provincial government's website (Gobierno del Chubat) front page prominently displays the following warning:
Argentina's Ministry of Health website shows their last update on January 11th, where they talk in general terms about their response and identify the virus as the Southern Andes strain.
They state the National Administration of Laboratories and Health Institutes (ANLIS) has `. . . also initiated studies of viral genome sequencing entire human genome and to identify whether there are mutations that increase the transmissibility and lethality'.
Health continues to work with Chubut coordinated by the outbreak of hantavirus in Epuyén
In order to study and contain the outbreak, authorities and technical teams from both jurisdictions held meetings to assess the evolving outbreak affecting the Patagonian locality.
Published on Friday January 11, 2019
Meanwhile, media reports indicate there are now 28 cases and 10 deaths, including reports of a 29 year-old nurse who died in neighboring Santiago, Chile.
This (translated) report from LaRepublica.pe:
Hantavirus travels to Argentina and arrives in Chile: nurse dies in Santiago
The 29-year-old woman died in Santiago de Chile and joins the nine fatalities of the Hantavirus outbreak that originated in Argentina.
The Republic
13 Jan 2019 | 9:21 pm
The Hantavirus caused the death of a person in Chile. A 29-year-old nurse had contact with a person from Epuyén, the town where the outbreak of the viral disease began, and died at a health center in her country. In addition, there are two more cases of contagion.
The woman, identified by Chilean media such as Patricia Martínez, was an officer of the Hospital de Palena, an area where there were conflicts bordering Argentina and Chile. She is the first victim of the Chilean Los Lagos region. He died of a cardiopulmonary picture caused by the Hantavirus in Santiago.
According to the authorities of Los Lagos, his death is related to infections in Epuyen, Argentina. The woman would be the tenth mortal victim of the Hantavirus. The Government of Chile would have imposed the sanitary barrier.
"We were informed of the death of the patient from Palena, as a result of her case of cardiopulmonary syndrome due to hantavirus," said José Antonio Vergara, the Epidemiology physician at the Los Lagos health center, according to Clarín. It was linked to the outbreak that originated in the town of Epuyen, in the province of Chubut, "he said.
(Continue . . . )
A summary of the outbreak was published yesterday by Navva.org.
The first people affected by the virus were people who attended a birthday party on 24 November in an event hall, reported the mayor of Epuyen, Antonio Reato.
A field spy from the area was the first to be infected after cleaning a shed where he would have been in contact with an infected mouse. Later the man attended the celebration in which he infected his wife and other assistants.Complicating matters is the potentially long incubation period for the virus. A 2006 EID Journal Dispatch (below) suggests - that with new cases still being identified - it could be some time before this outbreak can be resolved.
The outbreak is motivated safety precautions in the Patagonian city that has already been proclaimed quarantine. Meetings are forbidden and even to view the deceased.
A court decision ordered the insulation for 30 days to 85 residents who had contact with neighbors tested positive for Hantavirus or suspected of having it. Isolated people are not allowed to leave their homes and receive visitors.
Volume 12, Number 8—August 2006
Dispatch
Incubation Period of Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome
Pablo Vial*, Francisca Valdivieso*, Gregory Mertz†, Constanza Castillo‡, Edith Belmar*, Iris Delgado*, Mauricio Tapia§, and Marcela Ferrés¶
Abstract
The potential incubation period from exposure to onset of symptoms was 7–39 days (median 18 days) in 20 patients with a defined period of exposure to Andes virus in a high-risk area. This period was 14–32 days (median 18 days) in 11 patients with exposure for < 48 hours.
Given its unusual size and duration, we'll be keeping an eye on this outbreak in the days and weeks ahead.
