Africa: Hantavirus in Africa - Why Climate Change, Rats and Weak Surveillance Are Worrying Scientists

[The Conversation Africa] Hantaviruses are not new. They have circulated for decades in rodent populations, particularly in rats and mice. Humans can become infected if they are bitten or scratched by a rodent or by inhaling aerosolised particles. These are tiny bits of rodent urine, faeces or saliva floating through the air that are contaminated by the virus.