While the world is still battling with Coronavirus which was first detected in Wuhan China, a man from Yunnan Province in China has died in a bus after testing positive for Hantavirus, China’s Global Times reports.
The man died while on his way back to Shandong Province for work on a chartered bus.
The media outlet further revealed that the 32 other passengers of the bus were subjected to mandatory testing following the incident.
Hantavirus is a previously known family of viruses and is spread mainly by rodents and can cause varied disease syndromes in people but the cases of person-to-person transmission are rare and have only been reported from Chile and Argentina, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In most cases, hantavirus is spread when virus-containing particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva are stirred into the air, according to CDC.
Hantavirus immediately became a trend on social media following the report with people panicking that it was another COVID-19 ready to cause a new pandemic. However, unlike coronavirus, hantavirus is not airborne.
Humans who contract the hantavirus usually come into contact with rodents that carry the virus. “Rodent infestation in and around the home remains the primary risk for hantavirus exposure. Even healthy individuals are at risk for HPS infection if exposed to the virus,” CDC said on it Website.
