Symptoms:

The early symptoms of hantavirus disease are flu-like (fever, chills, muscle aches). For a very short period of time, the infected person starts to feel better. Then, within 1 - 2 days, the person may develop shortness of breath. The disease gets worse quickly and leads to respiratory failure.

Other symptoms may include:

• Dry cough
• General ill feeling (malaise)
• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Rapid shallow breathing

Signs and tests:

A doctor may notice signs of:

• Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
• Decreased blood pressure (hypotension)
• Decreased levels of oxygen in the blood (hypoxia), causing the skin to have a bluish color (cyanosis)
• Kidney failure

Tests include:

• Complete blood count (CBC)
• Hematocrit
• Liver enzymes
• Platelet count
• Serological testing for hantavirus
• Serum albumin
• Serum chemistry
• X-ray of the chest