UK rats carrying haemorrhagic fever virus
Experts have confirmed that haemorrhagic fever has been found in UK rats for the first time, after a man was diagnosed with the disease last year.
A man who suffered kidney problems in early 2012 was diagnosed with hantavirus, the virus that leads to haemorrhagic fever, which health experts have also found in rodents at his farm.
This is the first time that the hantavirus has been found in UK rats, and the findings have been published in the journal Eurosurveillance. It is thought that the rats travelled to Yorkshire and The Humber via trade ships from Asia.
Hantavirus can be contracted by breathing in dust from droppings or urine of rodents that carry the disease, however, it cannot be transmitted from person-to-person.
Lisa Jameson, research fellow in the virology and pathogenesis department at the Health Protection Agency (HPA), said: "Very few cases of hantavirus have been confirmed in the UK but, as with all rare infections, it's possible that more cases occur than are reported.
"Although there is currently no indication that this virus is becoming significantly more prevalent in the UK, we are carrying out further investigations into this recent case… this includes working in cooperation with the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), who continue to undertake research and surveillance activities in wild rodents."
A spokesperson for HPA added that further research is needed to establish how wide-ranging the virus has become.
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
