Hantavirus is a condition that a lot of people might never have heard of before, but one that thousands of people all over the world might encounter: It’s tied to exposure to contaminated rat droppings – and anywhere you might have been directly in contact with rat droppings (or in contact with objects that have been) will mean that you are at risk.
it’s a condition that directly affects the blood, and it can lead to very serious symptoms such as increased likelihood to bruise, a fever that develops shortly (a few hours to days) after exposure to and incubation of the Hantavirus, pain in the body, confusion and tiredness, shortness of breath, coughing and others.
Usually, the Hantavirus cannot spread between people, but will spread between contact with infected rodents, their droppings, and humans; this makes it one of the most common conditions tied to rodents that people might get.
Here are 14 symptoms of the Hantavirus that you should know about.
1. Infected Rodent Contact
Infected rodent contact is the first thing that you should look for as a possible symptom or sign of the Hantavirus: Have you been close to anything that might have been contaminated by infected rat droppings or the rodents and their droppings themselves a little while before your symptoms started? This might not always be obvious (especially not in the case of contaminated foods or drinks) but it’s the first thing that will take place before you contract the Hantavirus.
Exposure is likely to be a few days to weeks before the first onset of your symptoms: In most cases, the onset of symptoms happens sooner rather than later and the first signs might be ones of a fever or other general infection signs.
Contact with the infected rodents doesn’t have to be direct: It might happen when rats have snuck into cupboards or food stores, and it can sometimes take a while before this is noticed. By then, the Hantavirus has already had its chance to spread.
