Urban residents less likely to contract hantavirus than rural population, expert says

Urban residents are less likely to contract hantavirus than people living in rural areas because they have significantly less contact with rodent carriers that transmit the infection.

This was stated in a comment to Ukrinform by Alla Myronenko, Professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences, and virologist at the Virology Laboratory of the State Institution Kyiv City Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

“Hantavirus is a fairly rare disease in humans, and fortunately there is no mass spread. Infection occurs through contact with biological fluids of rodent species. Therefore, urban residents are less likely to encounter such a risk, while in rural areas the likelihood of contact is significantly higher,” Myronenko said.

She noted that hantavirus can cause severe damage to the human body. Patients may develop respiratory symptoms, pneumonia, oxygen deficiency, or kidney syndrome, which in some cases requires dialysis.

Common symptoms include high fever, muscle pain, lower back pain, skin rash, and breathing difficulties.

According to Myronenko, the virus can theoretically be transmitted between humans only under conditions of prolonged and close contact. However, no such cases have been recorded in Ukraine. In general, it is a zoonotic infection, meaning humans are infected from animals, and the transmission chain is usually interrupted.

She added that medical literature indicates mortality rates for some forms of hantavirus infection can reach up to 40%. However, in Ukraine it is difficult to assess the exact mortality due to the very small number of laboratory-confirmed cases among civilians.

According to her, isolated cases are recorded annually in western regions of Ukraine, and Kyiv may also see about one case per year.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, a hantavirus outbreak occurred on the cruise ship MV Hondius in the Atlantic Ocean, resulting in three deaths. The vessel departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on March 20 and was scheduled to complete its voyage on May 4 in Cape Verde.

The ship carried around 150 tourists from different countries. Two passengers were later confirmed to be infected after evacuation to the Netherlands, and a Swiss traveler also tested positive upon returning home.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that five Ukrainian citizens were among the crew of the vessel, with no reported deterioration in their health.