The World Health Organization has released an updated fact sheet on hantavirus infections, highlighting the continued public health relevance of these rodent-borne viral diseases and the clinical challenges they pose worldwide. Hantaviruses are primarily transmitted to humans through inhalation of aerosolized particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. Transmission may also occur through direct contact with contaminated materials or rodent bites. Among the identified hantavirus species, only a few are known to cause human disease.
Notably, Andes virus in the Americas remains the only hantavirus reported to rarely cause human-to-human transmission. Although hantavirus infections are considered rare globally, their mortality rates remain concerning, ranging from less than 1% to 15% in Asia and Europe and reaching nearly 50% in the Americas. WHO estimates that approximately 10,000…
