Au Panamaa second case of infection with Hantavirus has been confirmed by the health authorities in the Province of Herrera. The patient, a 64-year-old man residing in the La Arena area of Chitre, is hospitalized in the intensive care unit of the Dr. Gustavo Nelson Collado Ríos Hospital; he is on life support and in critical condition. He presented an initial syndrome with respiratory distress, fever and cough.
The patient went to the district of Tonosiin the neighboring province of The Saints, where he periodically performs agricultural work. Most cases of Hantavirus infections that are reported each year occur in this region of the country. Rural agricultural areas are indeed a habitat for rodent reservoirs of virus Choclo.
Reminders on Hantavirus of the new world
The hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is a serious lung disease caused by a hantavirus, a virus belonging to the family of Bunyaviridae.
Symptoms usually occur 2-4 weeks following exposure to the virus. The first symptoms are fatigue, fever, muscle aches, headaches. Then 1 to 5 days following the onset of symptoms, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome occurs, which combines coughing and difficulty breathing.
There is no specific treatment or vaccine.
The reservoir animal is a rodent whose species varies according to the regions of the world. Humans are accidental hosts of these viruses, which can be transmitted by inhalation of aerosols contaminated with feces or urine of infected rodents or by direct contact with living or dead infected rodents or with feces or urine. of these rodents.
Recommendations for hikers
- Use designated sites for camping or daytime relaxation.
- Do not sleep in contact with the grass.
- Travel on designated trails.
- Maintain good hand and food hygiene.
- Consume clean water and do not collect wild fruits in areas where rodents are evident.
Source : ProMED.
