A Colorado woman who thought she had COVID-19 because of her coronavirus symptoms ended up having another rare virus — the hantavirus.
What is hantavirus, you ask? That was the same thing I said when I read it.
Well, according to the Centers for Disease Control, hantaviruses are a family of viruses spread mainly by rodents and can cause varied disease syndromes in people worldwide. Infection with any hantavirus can produce hantavirus disease in people.
Hantaviruses in the Americas are known as “New World” hantaviruses and may cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).
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Other hantaviruses, known as “Old World” hantaviruses, are found mostly in Europe and Asia and may cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is an infectious disease characterized by flu-like symptoms that can progress rapidly to potentially life-threatening breathing problems.
Much like the flu-like symptoms you see with the coronavirus COVID-19, you can see why it could easily be confused.
Several types of hantaviruses can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. They are carried by several types of rodents, particularly the deer mouse.
You become infected primarily by breathing air infected with hantaviruses that are shed in rodent urine and droppings.
Symptoms of Hantavirus
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome advances through two distinct stages. In the first stage, you may experience flu-like signs and symptoms that may include:
-Fever and chills
-Headaches and muscle aches
-Vomiting, diarrhea or abdominal pain
In its early stages, hantavirus infection is difficult to distinguish from influenza, pneumonia or other viral conditions. After four to 10 days, more-serious signs and symptoms begin. They typically include:
-A cough that produces secretions
-Shortness of breath
-Fluid accumulating within the lungs
-Low blood pressure
-Reduced heart efficiency
When to see a doctor
The signs and symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome can worsen suddenly and may quickly become life-threatening.
If you've been around rodents or rodent droppings and have signs and symptoms of fever, chills, muscle aches or any difficulties breathing, seek immediate medical attention.
Sue Ryan, the woman who contracted the hantavirus, visited the hospital several times in October after she had severe symptoms that were similar to COVID-19.
Her symptoms included high fever and headaches. She also had fluid around her lungs and her heart, she told KDVR.
She tested negative for the novel coronavirus. But experts eventually reviewed her case and found she had hantavirus, which is a rare and often fatal disease.
“Because it’s so rare, I was actually kind of blown away. I actually got this disease and didn’t die,” she told Fox affiliate KDVR.
Coronavirus Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may appear two to 14 days after exposure. This time after exposure and before having symptoms is called the incubation period. Common signs and symptoms can include:
Fever
Cough
Tiredness
Early symptoms of COVID-19 may include a loss of taste or smell.
Other symptoms can include:
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Muscle aches
Chills
Sore throat
Runny nose
Headache
Chest pain
Pink eye (conjunctivitis)
This list is not all inclusive. Other less common coronavirus symptoms have been reported, such as rash, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Children have similar symptoms to adults and generally have mild illness.
The severity of COVID-19 symptoms can range from very mild to severe. Some people may have only a few symptoms, and some people may have no symptoms at all.
Some people may experience worsened symptoms, such as worsened shortness of breath and pneumonia, about a week after symptoms start.
Fears over the hantavirus rose during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic after the hantavirus killed a man in China, as has been reported in a number of U.S. publications.
Each hantavirus serotype has a specific rodent host species and is spread to people via an 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.
