The main rule
Break contact with rodents. The only reliable way to prevent hantavirus is to avoid inhaling the virus. Everything else is specific ways to apply this rule in different life situations.
Prevention by scenario
- Wear a P100 or FFP3 respirator mask
- Wear gloves (rubber or nitrile)
- Ventilate the room for 30+ minutes before cleaning
- Do not sweep — wet cleaning only
- Treat droppings and burrows with bleach solution (1:10)
- Double plastic bag for waste
- Do not sleep directly on the ground — use a mat or hammock
- Store food in airtight containers
- Do not pick up dead rodents with bare hands
- Inspect tent and sleeping bag before use
- In endemic areas — use rodent repellent
- Seal all gaps in walls, floors, around pipes
- Remove food sources — closed garbage containers
- Set traps, but do not vacuum burrows
- If a dead mouse is found — mask and gloves are mandatory
- Mask when handling hay, straw, grain
- Gloves when harvesting crops from the ground
- Do not eat at the workplace
- Wash hands (or use hand sanitizer) before eating
What to do and what NOT to do
✓ Do this
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FFP3/P100 respirator mask when cleaning any premises with signs of rodents — burrows, droppings, gnaw marks. A regular medical mask does not protect against aerosol.
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Wet cleaning instead of dry. Never sweep or use a vacuum where rodents have been — this stirs particles into the air. Wet surfaces with bleach solution, wait 5–10 minutes, then clean.
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Disinfect with chlorine. 10% bleach solution (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) effectively inactivates hantavirus. Apply to surfaces with droppings, leave for 10 minutes.
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Gloves and closed clothing during any contact with potentially contaminated material. After removing gloves, wash hands immediately.
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Ventilate before entering abandoned or long‑closed premises — 30+ minutes with windows and door open, standing at the entrance (not going inside).
✗ Do NOT do this
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Do not sweep or vacuum areas where rodents have been — that is a direct route to aerosol infection.
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Do not touch dead rodents with bare hands — even a dead animal retains the virus in tissues for several days.
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Do not leave food uncovered in rodent‑infested areas or outdoors — it attracts animals.
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Do not ignore symptoms after possible exposure — fever and muscle aches within 6 weeks of risk require a doctor’s visit.
Protection when caring for an Andes virus patient
Only for Andes virus (Argentina, Chile). If the patient has returned from these regions — apply isolation measures. Regular hantaviruses (including HFRS in Russia) are not transmitted from person to person.
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Isolate the patient in a separate room. If possible, transfer to a specialized infectious disease hospital.
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Use PPE when caring: FFP3 mask, gloves, gown, face shield/goggles — during any contact with secretions.
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Monitor contacts for 45 days from the last exposure. If symptoms appear — go immediately to an infectious disease hospital.
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Notify epidemiologists (local health authorities) of any Andes virus‑related case for epidemiological investigation.
Hantavirus vaccine
To date, there is no licensed hantavirus vaccine in Russia or in most countries worldwide. In China and South Korea, vaccines against HFRS (based on inactivated virus) are available, but they are not used outside those countries.
Research is ongoing — DNA‑based and recombinant protein vaccine candidates are undergoing clinical trials. It will be several more years before widespread use.
Until a vaccine becomes available the only protection is behavioral measures and rapid response when symptoms appear. Take the risk assessment test at the slightest suspicion.
Took precautions but still have symptoms?
Prevention reduces risk but does not eliminate it completely. If after possible exposure you develop fever and muscle aches — take the test immediately.