19/05/2026
Hantavirus.
What to know about symptoms, treatment and death rate
Hantavirus can cause an infection that starts with flu-like symptoms, including fatigue, fever, muscle aches and, at times, diarrhea and vomiting. In some patients, it can progress to a severe and sometimes deadly respiratory infection.
There is no vaccine or specific treatment for hantavirus. WHO officials urge people who might be infected to seek care from a trained professional quickly, because medical care — such as being put on a ventilator — can help.
The death rate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can be between 30% and 40%, although Marrazzo said this is likely an overestimate.
"While those are very scary numbers, we often don't know what the denominator of people infected is, because mild cases might be missed."
There is no over-the-counter test for hantavirus, so it's often only sick people with symptoms who show up at the doctor and get tested. That means the mortality rate might appear higher than it actually is.