Hantavirus

History

From a Korean river to a deer-mouse boom

Hantavirus disease has been around for a long time, but the cause was only identified in the late 1970s, and the New-World pulmonary form was a complete surprise in 1993. For very recent events, see Outbreaks.

1951–1953
Korean War — "Korean hemorrhagic fever"
About 3,000 UN troops develop a previously-unknown fever-and-kidney-failure illness near the Hantan River. The disease pushes US Army researchers to look for a cause for the next two decades.
1976 / 1978
Lee et al. isolate Hantaan virus
South Korean virologist Ho Wang Lee and colleagues identify the agent in the lungs of striped field mice (Apodemus agrarius) trapped near the Hantan River; cell-culture isolation follows in 1978. The virus is named Hantaan and the family eventually Hantaviridae for the river.
May 1993
Four Corners outbreak — discovery of Sin Nombre virus
A cluster of fatal acute respiratory illness on the Navajo Nation (Arizona / Colorado / New Mexico / Utah) baffles clinicians. CDC investigators identify a new hantavirus they call Sin Nombre ("nameless"), carried by deer mice. The outbreak is linked to the 1992–93 El Niño rains and a deer-mouse population boom.
1995
Andes virus identified
HPS cases in southern Argentina lead to identification of Andes virus in long-tailed pygmy rice rats — the only hantavirus that goes on to be documented spreading person-to-person.
August 2012
Yosemite — Curry Village cluster
10 visitors to Yosemite National Park's Curry Village contract Sin Nombre virus from deer-mouse-infested insulated "signature" tent cabins; 3 die. The double-walled cabins had become unintentional rodent nests.
2018–2019
Epuyén, Argentina — Andes-virus super-spreaders
An outbreak in Chubut, Patagonia produces 34 confirmed cases and 11 deaths, traced to a single rodent introduction amplified by three "super-spreaders" at social events. R 2.12 before isolation, 0.96 after — the clearest evidence yet that one hantavirus can spread between people.
Recurring
European Puumala waves
Finland and Germany see large nephropathia-epidemica outbreaks on a 3–4 year cycle, tied to bank-vole population peaks driven by good seed-mast years. More on Puumala →
February 2025
Santa Fe — Betsy Arakawa case
Pianist Betsy Arakawa, wife of actor Gene Hackman, dies of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome at their Santa Fe home — New Mexico's first hantavirus death of 2025. Rodent feces found in outbuildings on the property. Full case →
April–May 2026
Antarctic-cruise Andes-virus cluster (WHO)
WHO reports a small cluster of 7 cases / 3 deaths among passengers and crew of an expedition vessel that departed Ushuaia, Argentina; global risk assessed as low. Highlights how Andes-virus exposure can travel. Full case →

Why is it called "hantavirus"?

Named after the Hantan River in present-day South Korea, along which Lee's research team trapped the rodents that yielded the first isolated hantavirus. The river name itself comes from the Korean word han, meaning "great." Sin Nombre virus, by contrast, was deliberately named "no name" after several proposed place-names were rejected by local communities.

Frequently asked questions

How many people died in the 1993 Four Corners outbreak?

The initial cluster killed roughly half of about two dozen patients. The discovery launched US-wide HPS surveillance — 309 deaths in 890 cases through 2023.

Did anyone die in the 2012 Yosemite hantavirus outbreak?

Yes — three of ten patients died after exposure in Curry Village's insulated tent cabins.

What was the Epuyén outbreak?

A 2018–19 Andes-virus outbreak in Argentina with 34 cases and 11 deaths; the clearest documented person-to-person hantavirus transmission.