Amidst the news of coronavirus China has reported another outbreak of a deadly disease, Hantavirus. According to a latest report, a man from China's Yunnan province tested positive for Hantavirus on Monday and died shortly after. As per China’s Global Times, the man was on his way back to Shandong Province for work on a chartered bus when he passed away. The report added that 32 other people have been tested and are awaiting test results. The death report immediately made rounds on social media and caused a minor panic among netizens.
Orthohantavirus or Hantaviruses are a family of viruses spread mainly by rodents and can cause varied disease syndromes in people worldwide. Infection with any hantavirus can produce hantavirus disease in people. It cannot be passed on from person to person, but a person can get infected if they have touched their eyes, nose or mouth after touching rodent droppings, urine, or nesting materials, as per a fact sheet of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The symptoms are similar to that of COVID-19 which includes fever, headache, abdominal pain among others.