EPA Activates Emergency Viral Pathogen Guidance For Hantavirus

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has activated its Emerging Viral Pathogen (EVP) Guidance for Antimicrobial Pesticides (Guidance) in response to hantavirus, which had been considered to be a rare disease caused by an infection from some hantaviruses (including Andes Virus). According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hantaviruses are a family of viruses that cause serious illness and sometimes death in people worldwide. The viruses are spread by infected rodents through their urine, feces, and saliva. Some hantaviruses cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). Early symptoms of HPS in people resemble many other respiratory illnesses, making HPS difficult to diagnose at illness onset. Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) is a rare disease that is caused by an infection from some hantaviruses and can cause kidney damage.