Hantavirus infections can begin with symptoms that feel like a flu-like illness. The important distinction is the exposure context: symptoms are more concerning if they appear after possible contact with infected rodents, rodent urine, droppings, nesting material, or, for Andes virus specifically, close contact with a person who is sick with Andes virus.
This page summarizes common symptoms, timing, and warning signs in plain language. It is not medical advice. If you may have been exposed and develop symptoms, contact a medical professional or public-health authority promptly.
Quick answer
Early hantavirus symptoms can include fatigue, fever, and muscle aches. Some people also experience headaches, dizziness, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain. Later illness can involve coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness as the lungs are affected.
For Andes virus, signs and symptoms may appear 4 to 42 days after exposure. For hantavirus pulmonary syndrome more generally, CDC describes symptoms as often starting 1 to 8 weeks after contact with an infected rodent.
Early symptoms
Early symptoms can be easy to mistake for other illnesses. They may include:
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Muscle aches, especially in large muscle groups such as the thighs, hips, back, or shoulders
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Chills
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
Not every person has every symptom. The key question is whether symptoms follow a plausible exposure, such as rodent-contaminated spaces or close contact with someone known or suspected to have Andes virus.
Later warning signs
Later symptoms can be more serious and may include:
- Coughing
- Shortness of breath
- Chest tightness
- Difficulty breathing
- Rapid worsening after an initial flu-like phase
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome affects the lungs and can become severe. Breathing symptoms after a possible hantavirus exposure should be treated as medically important.
Symptom timing
The timing can vary by virus and exposure.
For hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, symptoms often begin 1 to 8 weeks after contact with an infected rodent.
For Andes virus, CDC states that signs and symptoms may appear 4 to 42 days after exposure.
Because the incubation window can be long, exposure history matters. If you speak with a clinician, tell them about any rodent exposure, travel, cruise-ship exposure, or close contact with someone suspected or confirmed to have Andes virus.
Hantavirus symptoms vs. flu, COVID, or ordinary stomach illness
Early hantavirus symptoms can overlap with many common illnesses. Fever, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, chills, and stomach symptoms are not specific to hantavirus.
What makes hantavirus more relevant is a possible exposure, such as:
- Cleaning rodent droppings or nesting material
- Entering a closed cabin, shed, barn, garage, storage area, or vehicle with rodent activity
- Breathing dust from rodent-contaminated areas
- Contact with rodent urine, droppings, saliva, or nesting material
- For Andes virus, close contact with a sick person who may have Andes virus
When to contact a medical professional
Contact a medical professional promptly if you may have had a hantavirus or Andes virus exposure and develop symptoms.
Seek emergency care if you have severe breathing difficulty, chest tightness, rapidly worsening shortness of breath, confusion, blue lips, or other emergency symptoms.
When seeking care, mention the exposure specifically. Do not assume a clinician will know about a recent rodent exposure, travel exposure, or cruise-ship exposure unless you say it clearly.
What to tell a clinician
Helpful details may include:
- When the possible exposure happened
- Where it happened
- Whether you saw rodent droppings, urine, nests, or dead rodents
- Whether you cleaned, swept, vacuumed, or disturbed dusty material
- Whether you were in a closed cabin, shed, garage, barn, storage unit, vehicle, or ship cabin
- Whether you had close contact with a person suspected or confirmed to have Andes virus
- When symptoms started
- Which symptoms appeared first
- Whether breathing symptoms have developed
What this page does not do
This page does not diagnose hantavirus infection. It does not tell you whether your symptoms are caused by hantavirus, Andes virus, flu, COVID, anxiety, pneumonia, or any other condition. Only a qualified medical professional or public-health authority can advise on diagnosis, testing, isolation, or treatment.