Incidence Rate for Hantavirus Infections without Pulmonary Syndrome, Panama

Abstract

During 2001–2007, to determine incidence of all hantavirus infections, including those without pulmonary syndrome, in western Panama, we conducted 11 communitywide surveys. Among 1,129 persons, antibody prevalence was 16.5%–60.4%. Repeat surveys of 476 found that patients who seroconverted outnumbered patients with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome by 14 to 1.

Keywords

• hantavirus
• Bunyaviridae
• epidemiology
• hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
• viruses
• Panama