The potentially deadly virus, which can be transmitted from animals to humans, is already widespread in Northern Europe.
According to new research, the dreaded virus can be transmitted from rodents to humans and cause bleeding, with symptoms reminiscent of Ebola’s hemorrhagic fever. The research results were published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
The field mice in Sweden, which are the transmitters of the pathogen, have already infected two people, causing them to fall ill with hemorrhagic fever.
In the spring of 2018, doctors in Sweden diagnosed a case of epidemic nephropathy, which was transmitted by field mice through the Pumala virus.
Recently, doctors discovered an outbreak of “field mice fever” about 300 miles from where it first appeared. The patient had not traveled outside the country before becoming infected, indicating that the disease has spread to their hometown.
Symptoms in both cases included fever, general weakness, nosebleeds, and worsening kidney function. Both patients were cured, but this prompted scientists at Uppsala University to conduct an investigation.
Scientists examined field mice in Scania, where the virus was first discovered and revealed that 9 out of 74 carry hantavirus genes.
Hantaviruses are mainly found in rodents such as mice, rats, and voles, and usually cause two types of diseases in humans: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. At its worst, hemorrhagic fever with end-stage renal disease can be fatal. Additionally, scientists revealed that the rodents were infected with two strains: one from Sweden, the other from Finland or Russian Karelia.
