hantavirus
noun
han·ta·vi·rus
ˈhän-tə-ˌvī-rəs 
ˈhən-
ˈhan-
ˈhən-
ˈhan-
: any of a family (Hantaviridae and especially genus Orthohantavirus) of bunyaviruses transmitted especially by rodent feces and urine and including viruses causing serious pulmonary disease or hemorrhagic fevers marked by renal necrosis
Examples of hantavirus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the Netherlands, Radboud University Medical Center quarantined 12 staff members after officials said a hantavirus patient’s blood and urine were not handled under the strictest international protocols required for the specific virus strain.
—
Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
Officials have said the test taken aboard the ship was likely a false positive, and that the physician does not have antibodies to hantavirus, indicating he was never exposed to or ill with it.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 15 May 2026
This helps to explain why COVID-era conspiracies and distrust in medical authorities have made a forceful comeback despite the differences between SARS-CoV-2 and hantavirus.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
The Americans in Nebraska were among around 150 cruise passengers who spent weeks aboard the MV Hondius, a ship hit with a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has infected at least 11 people, including three who died, according to the World Health Organization.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 15 May 2026
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Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
Officials have said the test taken aboard the ship was likely a false positive, and that the physician does not have antibodies to hantavirus, indicating he was never exposed to or ill with it.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 15 May 2026
This helps to explain why COVID-era conspiracies and distrust in medical authorities have made a forceful comeback despite the differences between SARS-CoV-2 and hantavirus.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
The Americans in Nebraska were among around 150 cruise passengers who spent weeks aboard the MV Hondius, a ship hit with a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has infected at least 11 people, including three who died, according to the World Health Organization.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hantavirus
Cite this Entry
“Hantavirus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hantavirus. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
hantavirus
noun
han·ta·vi·rus
ˈhan-tə-ˌvī-rəs
ˈhən-
ˈhän-
ˈhən-
ˈhän-
: any of a family (Hantaviridae and especially genus Orthohantavirus) of bunyaviruses that infect specific rodents as their natural hosts and that include some forms causing hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in humans following exposure to the virus in airborne particles of rodent urine, feces, or saliva or directly by the bite of a rodent
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