The infected person sought medical help after he developed symptoms associated with the disease. According to experts, the symptoms of hantavirus can initially be confused with, for example, a cold or flu, which can lead to a wrong diagnosis.
Currently, the patient’s condition is stable, but he remains under medical supervision.
Although this virus rarely occurs in Israel, it is not the first time that hantavirus has been diagnosed in Israel, notes The Jerusalem Post. About ten years ago, several Israelis were suspected of being infected with this virus during their travels in South America.
Unlike the outbreak caused by a South American strain, this Israeli was infected with a European strain of the virus, writes The Jerusalem Post.
The WHO had previously stated that the risk to the general public was low following reports of the spread of hantavirus on a vessel that had sailed from South America and was now heading to the Spanish Canary Islands.
Hantaviruses are rodent-borne viruses that can infect humans and cause respiratory illnesses that include headache, dizziness, fever, nausea, diarrhea, and stomach pain, followed by the sudden onset of severe breathing problems. There is no vaccine against the virus yet.
