Who Is Affected by Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS)

Through July 5, 2011, 572 cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) had been reported in the United States.¹

• HPS affects both genders, although males are at a higher risk of developing the illness (63% male and 37% female).
• 78% of the people with HPS have been white, 18% have been American Indian, 2% have been African American, and 1% have been Asian.

Although the majority of HPS cases occur in the southwestern United States, cases have been reported in 33 states.¹ Most people who develop HPS either live in rural areas or have visited rural areas during the 4 weeks before symptoms of the illness appear.

Other countries also have had confirmed cases of HPS, including:²

• Canada, mainly in the western provinces.
• South American countries Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, and Bolivia.
• Panama.

References

Citations

1. National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007). Case information: Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome case count and descriptive statistics. All About Hantaviruses. Available online: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/caseinfo.htm.

2. World Health Organization (2004). Number of Cases of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) (Region of the Americas, 1993–2004). Available online: http://www.paho.org/common/Display.asp?Lang=E&RecID=1971.

Credits

By	Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Robert L. Cowie, MB, FCP(SA), MD, MSc, MFOM - Pulmonology
Last Revised	February 22, 2012