Current status of hantavirus vaccines development

Abstract

Hantaviruses are associated with two human diseases: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Eurasia and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the Americas. These viruses are carried by persistently infected rodents and are transmitted to humans by aerosolized rodent excreta. The number of reported cases of hantavirus infection is growing in many countries. New hantavirus strains have been increasingly isolated worldwide raising public-health concerns. There is still no effective antiviral treatment against hantavirus infections. Prevention can be partially achieved by rodent avoidance, but it is not realistic in many endemic areas. The realistic preventive program has to be based on safe and effective multivalent vaccines specific for local epidemiological environment. This chapter summarizes the current status of hantavirus epidemiology and development of preventive strategy to control hantavirus infections. The current and novel hantavirus vaccines are discussed in terms of the demand, population at risk, and the potential market size for specific endemic areas.