About HantaWatch

Mission

Hantavirus outbreaks are uncommon but consistently lethal. Reliable, plain-language information saves lives by helping people recognise symptoms early and follow evidence-based prevention measures. HantaWatch exists to make global hantavirus surveillance accessible to the general public, travellers, clinicians, and researchers — without requiring a subscription or login.

Editorial Process

1. 1. Source selection. Country-level case counts come from national public-health authorities first, then supranational bodies (WHO, ECDC, PAHO), then peer-reviewed literature. Wire-service and news-media reporting is used only to flag developing situations for follow-up verification.
2. 2. Cross-checking. Numbers shown on case-tracker pages are reconciled against the most recently published official figures. Where sources disagree, we use the most recent authoritative report and note the discrepancy.
3. 3. Plain-language synthesis. Clinical and epidemiological content is written in plain language and cross-referenced against CDC, ECDC, and standard infectious- diseases textbooks. Medical claims are conservative: when uncertainty exists, we say so.
4. 4. Versioned updates. Every country and outbreak page displays a "last updated" date. Outbreak trackers revalidate at least hourly; country pages at least daily.
5. 5. Correction policy. We correct errors promptly and transparently. Material changes to case counts or clinical guidance are reflected in the source commits of this site, which remain publicly auditable.

Primary Data Sources

HantaWatch compiles information from the following authoritative sources. Always treat the linked primary source as the canonical reference for clinical, regulatory, or public-health decisions.

• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ↗

  Primary source for US HPS case counts, Sin Nombre virus epidemiology, and prevention guidance.

• World Health Organization (WHO) ↗

  Disease Outbreak News bulletins, global situation reports, and the MV Hondius response statements.

• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) ↗

  European hantavirus surveillance, rapid scientific advice, and risk assessments.

• Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) ↗

  Surveillance data from Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Paraguay, and other South American member states.

• Robert Koch Institut (RKI) ↗

  Authoritative German hantavirus statistics, including SurvStat case archives.

• China National Disease Control and Prevention Administration ↗

  National HFRS case reporting and vaccination program data.

• Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) ↗

  Hantaan and Seoul virus surveillance, Hantavax program coverage.

• ProMED-mail ↗

  Real-time outbreak intelligence through the International Society for Infectious Diseases.

• Peer-reviewed journals ↗

  NEJM, Lancet, Emerging Infectious Diseases, PLOS Pathogens, and others indexed in PubMed.

Known Limitations

• Hantavirus surveillance is incomplete in many low- and middle-income countries; case counts shown here likely underestimate true disease burden.
• Cumulative case counts span many years for some countries (e.g. the US count begins in 1993). Year-on-year comparisons should be made against the country authority directly.
• HantaWatch is not a substitute for clinical advice. If you suspect hantavirus exposure or infection, contact your local healthcare provider or public-health authority.
• We do not publish original epidemiological research. All case data, clinical descriptions, and prevention guidance are summarised from cited primary sources.