10. Prevention and control of hantaviruses
Prevention and control of hantaviruses pathogenic to humans rely on education and actions to block the viral transmission and protect humans.
Epidemiological surveillance and analysis play key roles in identifying risky regions and factors that contribute to hantavirus transmission. To mitigate this risk, rodenticides, traps, and cats can be employed for targeted control of rodents. Additionally, cleaning and disinfecting human living environments can prevent contamination of food and other items with hantaviruses from rodent excreta or secretions.
People at high risk of infection with hantaviruses, such as those working in agriculture, forestry, or animal husbandry, should take protective measures, including wearing masks or face coverings.94 No vaccines for hantaviruses have been approved worldwide, with the exception of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and mainland China. In the ROK, an inactivated vaccine (Hantavax) has been marketed since 1990 to prevent HFRS caused by HTNV and SEOV, which requires a three- or four-dose regimen.95 A similar bivalent inactivated vaccine was marketed in 1994 in mainland China.96Approximately 2 million doses of HFRS inactivated bivalent vaccine are used annually in mainland China, with vaccine-induced immunity lasting up to 33 months.97
In recent years, multiple types of new vaccines for hantaviruses have been investigated in laboratories. For instance, a vaccinia virus recombinant vector vaccine expressing the glycoproteins Gn and Gc of HTNV elicited neutralizing antibodies against both HTNV and SEOV in hamster models, although the vaccine had no cross-protection against PUUV.98 Various DNA vaccines expressing the genomic glycoproteins of OWHVs and NWHVs have also been investigated in hamster models.91