Hantavirus endemic areas

Hantaviruses occur worldwide but with very different frequencies. Each region has its own dominant virus type and a specific rodent reservoir – usually a particular species of mouse or rat.

RegionVirusReservoirSyndromeHotspots
Central Europe (Germany, Austria, Belgium, France)Puumala virusBank vole (Myodes glareolus)HFRS, mostly mild courseBaden-Württemberg, Bavaria, NRW (beech forests in mast years)
Balkans, Slovenia, GreeceDobrava-Belgrade virusStriped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius)HFRS, severe courserural areas, forestry work
Scandinavia, Russia, BalticsPuumala virusBank voleNephropathia epidemicaFinland, Sweden – highest incidence in Europe
China, Korea, Russian Far EastHantaan & Seoul virusesStriped field mouse, Norway ratHFRS, high case fatalitymore than 100,000 cases/year in China
USA, CanadaSin Nombre virusDeer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus)HPS, fatality up to 40 %Four Corners region, rural cabins
Argentina, Chile, BrazilAndes virusLong-tailed pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus)HPS, only documented person-to-person transmissionPatagonia, Bariloche, southern Chile

Data: RKI, ECDC, CDC, WHO. Distribution may vary with climate and rodent population cycles.