Just the Facts and Not the Hype: Hantavirus and Viruses and You
Viruses are essentially everywhere (air, water and inside people, plants, and animals). Most viruses are harmless to people and some even protect people by controlling bacterial populations. Viruses are tiny; a single teaspoon of seawater can contain millions of viruses. Only a small fraction cause human disease.
While you may know how you are exposed to the flu virus, how you are exposed to a virus varies greatly. Here are a few examples:
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that are spread mainly by rodents like rats and mice, especially when exposed to their urine, droppings, and saliva. In rare instances you can be exposed through a bite or scratch by a rodent. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been studying Hantaviruses for a while. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10601933/
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The Andes virus is the only type of hantavirus that is known to spread person-to-person. Spread is usually limited to people who have close contact with the ill person. Close contact includes:
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Direct physical contact
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Prolonged time spent in close or enclosed spaces
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Exposure to the infected person's saliva, respiratory secretions, or other body fluids (e.g., kissing, sharing utensils, handling contaminated bedding)
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Signs and symptoms due to Andes virus appear between 4 to 42 days after exposure. https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/about/
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West Nile Virus https://www.cdc.gov/west-nile-virus/ , Dengue https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/ , Zika https://www.cdc.gov/zika/ are spread by mosquitos.
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Human papillomavirus (HPV) is spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact. It is a common virus that in some cases causes cancers later in life. HPV.
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Norovirus is foodborne illness in the United States. https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/about/index.html
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COVID-19 is primarily transmitted through the air. Infected individuals release virus-laden respiratory droplets and fine aerosols when they exhale, talk, cough, or sneeze, which can remain suspended in the air for minutes or hours and be inhaled by others, especially in indoor, crowded, or poorly ventilated spaces
​What you can do:
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Avoid contact with people who have flu like symptoms
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Reduce exposure to mosquitos
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Proper handwashing and other simple steps can help prevent getting and spreading many types of microbes (bacteria and viruses).
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HPV vaccine
Stay Up-to-date on Outbreaks:
To know about recent U.S. and international outbreaks and what is known about them check the information that is regularly updated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by clicking https://www.cdc.gov/outbreaks/index.html