Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome:
Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman recently died of heart disease a few days after his wife Betsy Arakawa’s death due to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
- It is a rare infectious disease that begins with flu-like symptoms and progresses rapidly to more severe disease.
- It can lead to life-threatening lung and heart problems.
- The disease is also called hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome.
- Several strains of the hantavirus can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
- They are spread mainly by rodents like rats and mice and are not spread from person to person.
- Infection is usually caused by inhaling hantaviruses that have become airborne from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva.
- Though rare, it can also spread through rodent bites or scratches.
- Symptoms often start with fatigue, fever, and muscle aches, followed by headaches, dizziness, chills, and abdominal issues.
- If respiratory symptoms develop, the mortality rate is approximately 38%.
- There is no specific treatment for hantavirus infection, but early medical care can help if serious disease develops.
