Hantavirus outbreak toolbox
Updated | October 2024
Welcome to the Hantavirus Outbreak toolbox
Key reference documents
- Hantavirus (Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2021).
- Hantavirus (Pan African Heath Organization PAHO; 2019).
Case definitions
WHO suggested outbreak case definition
- A person who presents with a febrile illness (Fever > 38.5 °C [103 °F] oral) with an acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring supplemental oxygen AND bilateral diffuse infiltrates developed within 72 hours of hospitalization in a previously healthy person
- Unexplained illness resulting in death plus an autopsy examination demonstrating noncardiogenic pulmonary oedema without an identifiable specific cause of death
A suspected case laboratory confirmed with:
- The presence of hantavirus-specific IgM antibodies or a 4-fold or greater increase in IgG antibody titres or hantavirus-specific IgG seroconversion.
- A positive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results for hantavirus RNA.
- Positive immunohistochemical results for hantavirus antigens.
Data collection tools
- Formulario De Notificacion Inmediata Y Envio De Muestras Para Casos Sospechosos De Infección Por Hantavirus (Ministerio De Saude Publica, Chile, 2015).
- Line list: Not available.
- Electronic tools: Not available.
Laboratory confirmation
- Diagnosing and treating Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2020).
- Laboratory Management of Agents Associated with Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome: Interim Biosafety Guidelines (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2001).
Response tools and resources
- Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) (Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2017).
Training
- Not available
Other resources
- Standard precautions for the prevention and control of infections: aide-memoire (Geneva: World Health Organisation; 2022).