Number of Hantavirus Cases Increasing, Nine People Infected in FBiH

According to data from the Public Health Institute of FBiH, as many as nine people contracted so-called hantavirus in August this year, which is significantly more compared to the previous period, reports the B&H news agency Patria (NAP).

This is a viral disease, symptoms include sudden onset of fever (sometimes over 40 C), chills, severe headache, abdominal and back pain, changes in urine color, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, blurred vision, eyelid swelling and red eyes, rash...

Humans can become infected by inhalation (dust contaminated with secretions from infected wild animals) or by introducing the pathogen into the mouth (contaminated hands, food, drinks). The infection is not transmitted between people.

Forest workers, hunters, farmers, and others who come into direct or indirect contact with small wild rodents most often contract hantavirus, reports NAP.

Given that autumn is the season when a large number of citizens go into nature, or tidy up their gardens and thus come into contact with soil or rodents, experts advise increasing hygiene, not inhaling dust, and avoiding sleeping on open meadows, writes NAP.