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