Q. How is the hantavirus transmitted?
a. When a mouse or rat bites you
b. When you inhale airborne particles that contain the hantavirus
c. When you eat food contaminated with the hantavirus
d. All of the above
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a severe, sometimes fatal, respiratory disease in humans caused by infection with hantaviruses. Anyone who comes into contact with rodents that carry hantaviruses is at risk of HPS. Rodent infestation in and around the home remains the primary risk for hantavirus exposure.
Mice and rats that are infected with the hantavirus leave the virus behind through their urine, droppings, and saliva. The virus is mainly transmitted to people when they breathe in air contaminated with the virus, the CDC says. This occurs when droppings or nesting materials are stirred up, sending the particles into the air. The virus also can be transmitted through breaks in the skin, by touching your nose or mouth after handling contaminated materials, through contaminated food or water, and—rarely—through mouse or rat bites. The types of hantavirus that cause HPS in the United States cannot be transmitted from one person to another, nor do they appear to infect animals such as dogs, cats, or farm animals.
