History of hantavirus: discovery, outbreaks, Andes strain

150+

Strains described

~40%

HPS mortality

1993

Year HPS was discovered

Timeline: from war to the laboratory

1950–1953

Korean War: the first documented outbreak

During the Korean War, more than 3,000 UN soldiers fell ill with an unknown disease that caused high fever, bleeding, and kidney failure. Mortality reached 10–15%. The disease was called “Korean hemorrhagic fever”, but the causative agent remained unknown.

1978

Discovery of Hantaan virus

South Korean virologist Ho Wang Lee isolated the pathogen from the lung tissue of a striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) caught near the Hantan River. The new virus was named after the river — Hantaan virus. This became the first confirmed hantavirus.

1983

WHO groups all similar diseases under HFRS

The World Health Organization introduced the term “hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome” (HFRS), uniting all clinical forms of hantavirus infection known in Asia and Europe. This helped systematize observations from dozens of countries.

May 1993

Four Corners outbreak — the birth of HPS

In the Four Corners region (the intersection of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah), several young, previously healthy people suddenly died from acute respiratory failure. The CDC launched an urgent investigation — and discovered an entirely new disease. It was named hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). The causative agent turned out to be a new hantavirus, Sin Nombre (“Nameless”), and the reservoir was the deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus.

1995–1996

Andes virus: first human-to-human transmission

During an outbreak in Argentina and Chile, scientists recorded the impossible: hantavirus transmitted between people. The source was the Andes virus strain, whose reservoir is the long‑tailed rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus). This remains the only reliably confirmed case of human‑to‑human hantavirus transmission in the world. The outbreak affected healthcare workers caring for patients and their close relatives.

2000s

Global expansion: new strains around the world

Thanks to molecular genetics, scientists discovered dozens of new hantaviruses on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. It turned out that reservoirs are not only rodents but also shrews and moles. In Russia, 2,000–8,000 cases of HFRS are recorded annually.

2011–2012

Outbreak in Yosemite National Park

Nine visitors to Yosemite National Park became infected with hantavirus through contaminated mouse droppings in rented “signature tent cabins”. Three died. This became the largest HPS outbreak in U.S. history and drew widespread public attention to the problem.

2018–2022

New Andes virus outbreaks in South America

In Argentina (Epuyén province, 2018) and Chile (Araucanía, 2020–2021), new outbreaks with evidence of human‑to‑human transmission were recorded. Epidemiological investigations confirmed sexual transmission of Andes virus in some couples, as well as transmission through close care of the sick.

Today

Current situation and threats

No widely available vaccine against hantavirus exists (limited options against HFRS are available in China and Korea). Climate change is expanding the range of rodent reservoirs. Scientists warn of the risk of a new, more contagious strain emerging.

Andes virus — a special case

Why the Andes strain is so dangerous

Of more than 150 known hantaviruses, only Andes virus is reliably known to transmit from person to person. The mechanism of transmission includes direct contact with the patient's secretions (saliva, blood) and, according to some data, airborne droplets during close interaction.

This fundamentally changes the epidemiological profile of the disease: instead of isolated cases linked to a specific place of infection, there is a risk of chain transmission — as with other viral hemorrhagic fevers (Ebola, Marburg).

Andes virus circulates in Argentina and Chile. Mortality reaches 25–35%. The incubation period during human‑to‑human transmission is 14–33 days, which makes quarantine measures particularly important and difficult to implement.

Have you been in contact with someone who recently returned from South America? If you develop flu‑like symptoms within 45 days, be sure to tell your doctor about that contact. Standard flu tests will not detect Andes virus.

Hantavirus in Russia: HFRS

Several hantavirus strains circulate in Russia, all causing HFRS — the renal, not pulmonary, form. The main pathogens are Puumala virus (reservoir: bank vole) and Hantaan virus (field mouse).

Russia ranks among the top countries worldwide for HFRS incidence. Between 2,000 and 12,000 cases are registered annually, with peaks occurring during years of high rodent population. The most endemic regions are Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Udmurtia, the Volga region, and the Urals.

Seasonality: April–November, peak in July–September
Risk groups: foresters, summer residents (dacha owners), hunters, military personnel
Mortality: 0.5–3% (significantly lower than for HPS)
No vaccine is registered in Russia

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History of hantavirus