Scientist compared the danger of hantavirus and COVID-19 for humans

Hantavirus infection does not pose the same large-scale threat to humanity as the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. This was stated by Valery Litvinov, a Candidate of Medical Sciences and a researcher at Perm National Research Polytechnic University.

As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to RIA Novosti, the specialist explained that the coronavirus was characterized by an extremely high rate of spread and was easily transmitted between people even during brief contact. In the case of hantavirus, such a transmission mechanism is absent.

According to the expert, hantavirus belongs to natural focal infections and is primarily associated with certain animal species. The main carriers are mice and rats, while the rodents themselves often carry the virus without showing noticeable symptoms.

Litvinov noted that only certain varieties of hantavirus can be lethal to the carriers themselves. In humans, the disease in most cases follows a relatively mild course. As foreign virologists point out, specialists today do not regard hantavirus as a potential global-scale threat comparable to COVID-19.