A man in China has reportedly died from the hantavirus, which is one of a family of viruses spread by rodents that can cause disease in humans. The man from Yunnan Province in southwest China was traveling east by bus to Shadong Province, and the 32 other people on board are also being tested for hantavirus, according to the state-run Global Times newspaper as reported by Newsweek on Tuesday.

What is the hantavirus?

This family of diseases is spread mainly by rodents — particularly the deer mouse in the U.S. — and can cause different diseases in people around the world. Each hantavirus has a specific rodent host species. Hantaviruses in the Americas are known as “New World” hantaviruses, and can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), with symptoms including fatigue, fever and muscle ache in early stages, and coughing and shortness of breath later on. Other hantaviruses, known as “Old World” hantaviruses, are mostly seen in Europe and Asia, and can cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), with symptoms including intense headaches, back and abdominal pain, fever, chills, nausea and blurred vision. Both diseases are considered rare, but can be fatal.

How dangerous is it?

Developing HPS (hantavirus pulmonary syndrome) and HFRS (hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome) can be fatal. HPS has a mortality rate of 38%. Depending upon which virus is causing the HFRS, death occurs in less than 1% to as many as 15% of patients. But both of these are also pretty rare, and while some patients have long recovery times of weeks or months, many patients make a full recovery without lasting complications.

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