How hantavirus spreads
Hantaviruses are spread to humans almost exclusively from rodents. Inhalation of aerosols generated when rodent urine, feces or saliva is disturbed is by far the most common route. Andes orthohantavirus (ANDV) is the single exception that is documented to chain from person to person.
Primary route: rodent aerosols
Infected rodents shed virus in urine, droppings and saliva over weeks to months without showing any signs of illness. When contaminated nesting material, dust or droppings are disturbed — by sweeping, vacuuming, opening a closed-up cabin, or moving stored items — viable virus particles become airborne and can be inhaled. Outdoor exposure is also possible, but enclosed spaces with poor ventilation present the highest risk. Even brief, intense exposures (minutes) have led to documented infections.
Secondary routes
Direct contact with rodent excreta followed by hand-to-mouth or hand-to-eye contact, rodent bites, and ingestion of contaminated food or water have been documented. Bites are uncommon but well-attested. Hantaviruses are not vector-borne — fleas, ticks, lice and mosquitoes do not transmit them.
Person-to-person transmission of ANDV
Person-to-person transmission of Andes virus has been confirmed by genomic sequencing in multiple outbreaks, most notably El Bolsón (Argentina, 1996), Los Antiguos (Argentina, 2003), and Epuyén (Argentina, 2018-2019). Transmission appears to require close, sustained contact — particularly with prodromal or early-cardiopulmonary-phase patients — and is most efficient between household members, sexual partners and healthcare workers without appropriate respiratory PPE. Modeling from Epuyén estimated R0 in the household setting at 1.2-1.5 with significant heterogeneity. The 2026 MV Hondius cluster involved confined shipboard contacts and is the largest documented person-to-person ANDV propagation outside Patagonia.
What does not transmit hantavirus
There is no evidence that hantaviruses are transmitted by domestic pets (dogs, cats), by mosquitoes or ticks, by birds, by livestock, by casual contact in public spaces, or by contaminated surfaces in routine settings with normal cleaning. Transmission through blood products is extremely rare and has not been clearly documented for HPS-causing viruses.
- •Inhalation of aerosolized rodent urine, droppings or saliva is the main route
- •Closed indoor spaces with rodent infestation are the highest-risk environments
- •ANDV is the only hantavirus with documented person-to-person spread
- •Person-to-person spread of ANDV requires close, sustained contact
- •Mosquitoes, ticks and pets do not transmit hantaviruses
FAQ
Can I catch hantavirus from another person?+
Only with ANDV, and only with close, sustained contact with a symptomatic patient. Other hantaviruses (Sin Nombre, Hantaan, Seoul, Puumala) have not been shown to spread person to person.
Can hantavirus survive on surfaces?+
Hantaviruses are enveloped and degrade quickly in sunlight and at room temperature, generally within hours, but can persist longer in cool moist organic material. Standard household disinfectants (10% bleach) inactivate them.