What are the symptoms of hantavirus?
The initial symptoms often resemble a severe flu, making diagnosis difficult in the first few days.
Among the most frequent signs are:
- a high fever;
- significant muscle pain;
- headaches;
- intense fatigue;
- nausea or vomiting;
- abdominal pain.
In more severe cases, other symptoms may appear rapidly:
- breathing difficulties;
- severe cough;
- drop in blood pressure;
- kidney problems;
- bleeding in some cases.
Experts point out that the majority of infections remain rare and often moderate in Europe, but some forms require rapid hospitalization.
The virus is already circulating in France, especially in the northeast.
Although the cruise ship incident may seem distant, hantavirus has been present in France for many years.
The most affected regions are the Jura, the Doubs, and more broadly, parts of northeastern France. The main reservoirs of the virus are small wild rodents such as:
- the bank vole;
- field mice;
- some shrews.
Human contamination usually occurs when a person inhales dust contaminated by the urine, excrement or saliva of these animals, particularly in barns, cellars, sheds or poorly ventilated premises.
A rare but closely monitored disease
In France, just over 2,000 cases were recorded between 2005 and 2024. The year 2021 particularly marked the authorities with nearly 300 cases recorded, a large part of which were in the Jura.
Since then, the numbers have started to decline again, with fewer than one hundred cases reported in 2024.
The mortality rate remains relatively low in Europe, estimated at around 0.5%. Despite this, health authorities continue to closely monitor the evolution of the virus, particularly due to climate change and fluctuations in rodent populations that can trigger outbreaks.
