Case Definition
Confirmed Case
Clinical illness with laboratory confirmation of infection:
- detection of IgM antibodies to Hantavirus
OR - detection of a significant (e.g. fourfold or greater) increase in hantavirus-specific IgG antibody titres
OR - detection of hantavirus-specific RNA in an appropriate clinical specimen
OR - detection of hantavirus antigen by immunohistochemistry
Probable Case
Clinical illness in a person who is epidemiologically linked to a confirmed case
Definition of clinical illness
- Febrile illness (Temperature > 38.3° C [101° F] oral) requiring supplemental oxygen
PLUS - bilateral diffuse infiltrates (may resemble acute respiratory distress syndrome [ARDS])
PLUS - develops within 72 hours of hospitalization in a previously healthy person
OR - unexplained illness resulting in death plus an autopsy examination demonstrating non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema without an identifiable specific cause of death
