What Is Hantavirus? Symptoms, Transmission, and Safe Cleanup

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses carried mainly by rodents. People are usually infected by breathing contaminated dust from rodent urine, droppings, saliva, or nesting material. Infection is uncommon, but some hantaviruses can cause severe lung or kidney disease, so safe rodent control and cleanup are important.

How hantavirus spreads

Infected rodents may shed virus without appearing ill. Human exposure can occur when contaminated material is disturbed, when waste touches broken skin or the eyes, nose, or mouth, or less commonly after a rodent bite.

Most hantaviruses are not known to spread between people. Andes virus, found in parts of South America, is the important exception: it can rarely spread through prolonged close contact with a symptomatic person or exposure to bodily fluids.

Diseases caused by hantaviruses

Symptoms that require prompt medical advice

Early symptoms can include fever, fatigue, large-muscle aches, headache, dizziness, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain. These symptoms overlap with many common infections, so exposure history matters.

Seek immediate medical care for cough, shortness of breath, chest tightness, faintness, unusual bleeding, or reduced urination after possible rodent exposure. Tell the clinician when and where the exposure occurred. Do not wait for severe breathing difficulty before asking for help.

How hantavirus is diagnosed and treated

A clinician considers symptoms, rodent or travel exposure, and laboratory results. Blood tests can identify antibodies associated with a recent infection; public-health or specialist laboratories may also use molecular or other confirmatory tests. Very early testing may need to be repeated.

There is no specific treatment for HPS, and care is mainly supportive. Severe cases may require intensive monitoring, oxygen, mechanical ventilation, careful fluid management, or circulatory support. HFRS can require dialysis and specialized management. Early medical care improves the chance of managing complications.

Prevent rodents from entering

• Seal gaps around pipes, doors, roofs, foundations, and vents.
• Store food, animal feed, and garbage in rodent-resistant containers.
• Remove clutter and nesting material near buildings.
• Use suitable traps and address outdoor food or water sources.
• Ask pest-control or public-health professionals for help with a heavy infestation.

How to clean rodent urine and droppings safely

1. Ventilate the area when it is safe to do so, and keep other people and pets away.
2. Wear rubber or plastic gloves. Heavy infestations require additional protective equipment and professional guidance.
3. Do not sweep or vacuum dry waste. This can put contaminated particles into the air.
4. Thoroughly wet urine, droppings, and nesting material with an EPA-registered disinfectant or the disinfectant solution recommended by local health authorities.
5. Leave the surface wet for the label's contact time; CDC guidance commonly specifies at least five minutes for the products it describes.
6. Wipe up the material with paper towels and place it in a covered garbage container.
7. Disinfect the surrounding hard surfaces.
8. Wash gloved hands, remove the gloves, then wash bare hands with soap and warm water.

Never mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners. Follow the product label for dilution, ventilation, surface compatibility, and protective equipment.

Vehicles, cabins, and long-closed buildings

Air out a vehicle or building before inspecting it, and look for nests around air intakes, filters, stored fabric, and engine compartments. Do not start a heavily contaminated vehicle or use a high-pressure sprayer before the area has been assessed and safely disinfected.

CDC provides step-by-step instructions for cleaning after rodents and a current hantavirus overview. Local health departments may recommend different precautions for the rodent species and virus strains in your region.