Pandemic Watch
Hantavirus in Finland FI
Finland reports the highest per-capita hantavirus burden in Europe — typically more than 1,000 confirmed cases per year, climbing into the thousands during epizootic peaks tied to bank vole population cycles. The Puumala virus illness is known locally as 'myyräkuume' (vole fever). Case-fatality is below 1 percent and most patients recover fully without dialysis.
Circulating strains
Hantavirus strains documented in Finland. HPS = Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (Americas, predominantly fatal lung involvement). HFRS = Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (Eurasia, kidney involvement).
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- Rodent reservoir
- Bank vole (Myodes glareolus)
- Case-fatality rate
- <1%
- Person-to-person spread
- Not documented
Causes 'nephropathia epidemica', the mildest form of HFRS. Highest case volume of any European hantavirus; Finland reports more than a thousand cases in typical years.
Prevention emphasis
Aerosol exposure during cleanup of summer cottages and woodsheds after a vole-population winter is the dominant risk factor.
