Man dies from hantavirus on bus in China

A man from China’s Yunnan Province, who tested positive for hantavirus, died on a chartered bus on Monday — even as the coronavirus outbreak has overtaken the entire world. The epicentre of Covid-19 — a disease that coronavirus causes — is also said to be China. The first cases of Covid-19 were spotted in the wet city of Wuhan.

Hantavirus is a virus that normally infects rodents, but does not cause diseases in them. Humans may become infected with Hantavirus through contact with rodent urine, saliva, or faeces.

According to China’s Global Times, all 32 co-passengers that the infected person travelled with by a bus have been tested positive. 

It, in the US, is known as “New World” hantavirus, while in Europe and Asia, it is known as “Old World” hantavirus.

New World hantavirus may cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), while Old World hantavirus may cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).

SYMPTOMS:

Early symptoms include fatigue, fever, and muscle aches. It has a mortality rate of 38 per cent.

HPS can't be transmitted from one person to another.

According to the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “In Chile and Argentina, rare cases of person-to-person transmission have occurred among close contacts of a person who was ill with a type of hantavirus called Andes virus.”

This also means there are very less chances that the virus will spread further — saving the world from another epidemic. 

Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases worldwide has surpassed 3,30,000, while the number of deaths has exceeded 14,000.