Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Published : March 25, 2020 2:41 PM IST
If you are not exposed to the urine, faeces or saliva or a rodent or are not bitten by one, you are safe. @Shutterstock
Social media is a boon in times like this. It keeps us connected and helps us get through the pains of isolation. But it can also be a bane. This is also the medium where fake news is circulated and gullible people panic after reading misleading reports. One such report circulating on social media is about a new outbreak similar to the coronavirus. We are talking about the hantavirus case in China.
It is true that a person has died from this disease in China and authorities are taking no chances there. They are tracing contacts and getting tests done. But it is wrong to compare this to the coronavirus pandemic. Firstly, hantavirus is not new. It has been around and is a fairly controllable disease. So to create a fear-like situation where people panic about a new threat when the world is already inundated with coronavirus cases, is just not right.
Exaggerated warnings
Messages that refer to the rise of hantavirus and warn of another pandemic must be ignored. There is no doubt that hantavirus does refer to a dangerous family of viruses. But they are, in no way, comparable to COVID-19 and definitely not as dangerous. It has been around for decades now. There is no cure, granted, but you can easily avoid it by taking simple precautions like making your environment free of rats and mice. You can get this disease if you consume the bodily fluids of rats or mice.
This is a family of viruses that are spread by different rodents. Disease syndromes also vary from patient to patient. If you are not exposed to the urine, faeces or saliva or a rodent or are not bitten by one, you are safe. You will be at risk only if you live in dirty areas with rodent infestations.
But the good news is that you can be safe if you live in a rodent free environment. Household disinfectants and cleaning products can easily do the trick. It is a known virus, which is another thing in its favour. Coronavirus, on the other hand, is an unknown and tricky disease and scientists are still getting to know it. It is also highly contagious and difficult to control. So there is nothing to really worry about here. Instead of overreacting and thinking of making preparations to deal with another pandemic, it is better to concentrate on beating the coronavirus.
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