New Disease Hantavirus Kills Man In China

A new virus called Hantavirus has emerged in China at a time when the deadly coronavirus continues to claim lives across the world. Global Times, a Chinese publication, reported that a 32-year-old man passed away in China while on a bus. The tests of the deceased revealed that he was infected by Hantavirus which led to his death. Later, the authorities tested all the passengers of the said bus for the virus.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) says that the Hantavirus affects humans when they come into contact with four types of rodents that are the carriers of the virus. These include deer mouse, cotton rat, rice rat, white-footed mouse.

Moreover, the symptoms of Hantavirus are similar to those of Coronavirus: fever, difficulty in breathing, headache, muscle pain, chills and dizziness. But the newly-emerged virus does not spread through human-to-human contact, unlike coronavirus.