health
The first symptom was chills, then my body started to grow: A woman from Ivanjica survived Hantavirus
While all of Europe is now talking about the deadly Hantavirus due to infections on a cruise ship, in Serbia this virus, also known as 'mouse fever', is not unknown, especially in the Ivanjica region during the raspberry harvest, when new cases of infection are registered almost every year. Fatal outcomes are not that common, but one woman from Ivanjica went through hell precisely because of the Hantavirus.
TL;DR
- Hantavirus, or 'mouse fever', is known in Serbia, with frequent cases in the Ivanjica region during raspberry harvests.
- A survivor described her severe symptoms including chills, fever, nausea, vomiting, intense pain, and fluid retention, emphasizing the life-threatening nature of the illness.
- The virus can be contracted in nature, especially in rural areas with livestock and mice, through contact with infected animal excreta.
- Occupations like foresters, fruit pickers, veterinarians, and farmers are most at risk.
- The incubation period ranges from 10 to 40 days, and infection can occur through contaminated soil, mud, water, or air, or direct contact with urine of infected animals through cuts or scratches.