Man Reportedly Died In China From Hantavirus, A Rat-Borne Illness

A man who died in China on Monday, tested positive for the rat-borne illness, Hantavirus, according to Fox News. Thirty-two other people, who traveled on a bus with the man before he died, have since been tested for the virus.

The man, who was from Yunnan Province, was on his way to Shandong Province for work at the time of his death. However, the man’s name has not been disclosed.

U.S. health officials reportedly stated that the Hantavirus could not be transmitted from person-to-person. A person can become infected when the virus contaminates the air, and it is inhaled. The virus can also be contracted if a person is bitten by an infected rodent or if a person touches anything that was urinated on by the infected rodent and then touches their mouth or nose. In addition, the virus can also infect those who eat foods that were contaminated by the infected rodent’s saliva, droppings, or urine, according to the CDC.

Symptoms of the Hantavirus include “fatigue, fever, and muscle aches, as well as headaches, dizziness, chills, and abdominal pains. Late symptoms may include coughing and shortness of breath, and the disease has about a 38 percent fatality rate,” local news reports.

A number of symptoms of the Hantavirus are the same as COVID-19, which has infected an estimated of 81,600 people and caused 3,285 deaths in China.