A travel enthusiast has told how she came to be infected with hantavirus, a virus that causes a rare disease that is transmitted by rodents, after she began to feel ill following a trip to the US state of Colorado.
The woman discovered that she was infected with hantavirus PHOTO Pexels
Sue Ryan reported in an editorial published in The Telegraph that the symptoms appeared in October 2020 and initially resembled a severe flu or Covid-19: shortness of breath, high fever, muscle aches, headaches, nausea and diarrhoea.
“I realized I was seriously ill the moment I got in the shower and almost passed out”Sue Ryan recounted.
Being a therapist specializing in respiratory recovery, the woman explained that she checked her own oxygen saturation and blood pressure, and the values were dangerously low. Then she told her husband to rush her to the hospital.
There, doctors discovered he had hantavirus, the disease that can cause severe pulmonary syndrome and is transmitted to humans through contact with rodent feces, saliva or urine.
Ryan said he already knew how dangerous the disease was. “When I moved to Colorado, my friends would ask me, 'Aren't you afraid of bears?' And I would answer: “No, I'm afraid of hantavirus””she said, noting that the state of Colorado is among the US areas with the most cases.
Because he got sick in the middle of the pandemic, Ryan initially thought he had Covid-19. She was admitted to a ward for patients infected with the coronavirus, received oxygen and was completely isolated from her family.
“My husband wasn't even allowed to go into the ER with me. He was only able to help me out of the car and to the ward door”she said.
For several days, her condition was critical. Tests for Covid and flu came back negative, but imaging investigations showed fluid build-up around the lungs and heart.
“The doctors were preparing to insert a tube into my chest to drain the fluid and help me breathe easier”Sue Ryan explained.
The diagnosis was established after a pulmonologist asked her about her recent trips. The woman recalled that during a trip with the tent, she broke down and discovered a nest of mice in the spare tire compartment.
“I cleaned it up without thinking too much and continued on my way”she said.
He later tested positive for hantavirus. According to Ryan, the disease is extremely rare, affecting approximately 100,000 people worldwide. She admitted that there was a time when she thought she might die. “I knew there was a possibility I might die. It was a scary time”said the woman.
However, her experience in hospitals made her also look at the situation with a certain professional curiosity. “I was strangely intrigued by what was happening to me and constantly wondered what was actually going on in my body”Ryan confessed.
After five days in the hospital, the woman was discharged and needed another week of oxygen to breathe normally. The recovery was complete, and after about a month he was feeling well again.
“One interesting thing about this virus is that if you survive, you make a full recovery”she said.
Today, Sue Ryan continues to hike and travel, but says she has become much more alert for any sign of rodents. “If I see mouse tracks, I wear a mask and gloves and use disinfectant that destroys viruses”Ryan explained.
She now believes she got infected on her own property while cleaning up mouse droppings, and not on the mountain hike. “At 67, healthy and in good shape, I consider myself lucky to still be alive”concluded Sue Ryan.
