2018 up to now, only one case of hantavirus

K oblenz (dpa / lrs) – After the increase in cases of hantavirus last year, until the end of the first week of July 2018, a only one person has been infected with the pathogen. In the same period of the previous year, there had already been 31 cases, said the State Investigation Bureau (LUA) in Koblenz on request. Below the line, a total of 49 cases were counted in 2017, which was significantly more than in previous years. From 2013 to 2016, according to the LUA, there was always between one and a maximum of eleven cases. In 2017, it was an outlier.

A potential source of infection is the excretion of mice, which is why the agency should be careful when storing in hangars, basements or attics. The hantavirus can cause flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, abdominal and back pain. The LUA suspects that the number of unreported cases is higher than that of registered cases due to similarity with influenza and often mild disease progression. Renal failure is also possible in extreme cases.

The virus is excreted in the saliva, urine and feces of infected small mammals, especially the mouse reddisk. With agitated dust, they can enter the human airways.

LUA becomes hantavirus