There is no end to viruses in China as, amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic, another killer named hantavirus has surfaced.
One man died in Yunnan province in China after being diagnosed with hantavirus. The man died while on his way back to Shandong Province for work riding a bus on Monday.
Other diseases are also coming up including cases of swine flu and bird flu reported in India and other countries.
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that are spread primarily by rodents and can infect people with varied diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The other 32 fellow passengers on the bus have been tested for the virus.
The CDC website said, "Hantaviruses in the Americas are known as “New World” hantaviruses and may cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Other hantaviruses, known as “Old World” hantaviruses, are found mostly in Europe and Asia and may cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS),"
This has caused a wave of alarm among netizens as people are worried if they need to prepare themselves for another killer virus. The news of hantavirus came at a time when scientists and medical experts across the globe are already racing to find a cure for the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to medical experts, the disease impacts both the pulmonary region and kidneys in the long run. It can result in a possibility of death.
The name of hantavirus reportedly varies depending on the region. In America, the virus is known as "New World" hantaviruses, while in Europe and Asia, it is known as "Old World" hantaviruses.
The virus is not from human-to-human transmission, but from rodents carrying the virus to humans.
The event of the death led many to criticize China for being the epicenter of another outbreak amid a global pandemic. This was upon China slowly returning to normalcy and seemingly bringing the coronavirus outbreak under control.
According to Global Times, "Rodent infestation in and around the home remains the primary risk for hantavirus exposure. Even healthy individuals are at risk for HPS infection if exposed to the virus."
Although hantavirus is impossible to be passed from person to person, one can contract the disease if they touch their mouth, nose or eyes after touching urine or nest materials of rodents.
Reports said that a 12-year-old was confirmed to be diagnosed with hantavirus in Mumbai in 2016 and died of the disease.
"Each hantavirus serotype has a specific rodent host species and is spread to people via aerosolized virus that is shed in urine, feces, and saliva, and less frequently by a bite from an infected host. The most important hantavirus in the United States that can cause HPS is the Sin Nombre virus, spread by the deer mouse," China's CDC stated.
Early symptoms of hantavirus include headache, fever, muscle ache, dizziness, abdominal pain, chills, and abdominal problems.
Other symptoms are nausea, diarrhoea, and vomiting.
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