[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] A death due to Hantavirus infection has occurred in China, where fears of COVID-19 still linger.
On the 25th, Global Times reported that a worker from Yunnan Province, Mr. Tianmo, died from a Hantavirus infection. Mr. Tian showed abnormal symptoms while on a bus traveling to Shandong Province, where his workplace is located, and was transferred to a hospital in Ningshan City, Shaanxi Province on the 23rd. He died during treatment on the morning of the 24th.
Postmortem tests confirmed that Mr. Tian was positive for Hantavirus. Hantavirus is transmitted through rodents as hosts. Symptoms include fever and pain, and in severe cases, it can be fatal.
Global Times reported that the occurrence of a Hantavirus death amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in China has heightened fear among netizens.
Unlike COVID-19, Hantavirus is not transmitted through the respiratory tract but requires direct contact with rodent bodily fluids to infect humans. A vaccine has already been developed.
It is still unknown whether other passengers on the same bus as Mr. Tian were infected with Hantavirus. Although the possibility of human-to-human transmission through infected patients' excrement and blood cannot be completely ruled out, the likelihood is low since it is not transmitted via the respiratory tract.
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