Infection of hantavirus is normally through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva. Person-to-person transmission is uncommon but has been reported in previous outbreaks of the specific Andes species of the virus, which has now been confirmed as present in the current outbreak. Hantavirus is characterized by headache, dizziness, chills, fever and gastrointestinal problems. Infections are relatively uncommon, with several hundred cases reported in the Americas in 2025, but the virus has a high fatality rate, and there is no specific treatment or vaccine available. The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says, “At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low.”