1950s — Korean War
Thousands of UN troops in Korea developed a mysterious illness with fever, kidney failure, and bleeding — later named Korean hemorrhagic fever. The causative agent eluded scientists for decades.
1976 — Discovery and naming
Korean virologist Dr. Ho-Wang Lee isolated the virus from striped field mice (Apodemus agrarius) near the Hantan River. The virus — and the entire family — took its name from that river: Hantaan virus, hantavirus.
1993 — Four Corners outbreak
A cluster of unexplained acute respiratory deaths among young, healthy adults in the Four Corners region of the U.S. Southwest led to the discovery of Sin Nombre virus ("nameless virus") in deer mice. This was the first recognized outbreak of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS).
1995 — Andes virus identified
Following HPS cases in El Bolsón, Argentina, Andes virus was isolated. It was the first — and remains the only — hantavirus with documented person-to-person transmission.
2010s — Surveillance expands
Surveillance programs across the Americas, Europe, and Asia identified dozens of hantavirus species and strains. Genetic sequencing improved understanding of reservoir ecology and outbreak forecasting tied to rodent population booms.
2018–2019 — Epuyén, Argentina cluster
A large person-to-person Andes virus cluster in Epuyén, Patagonia underscored the need for strict isolation precautions and reshaped clinical management of confirmed cases.
2026 — MV Hondius cluster
Confirmed Andes virus cases on the expedition vessel MV Hondius brought renewed global attention to person-to-person transmission risk in enclosed travel settings.
Sources
- CDC Hantavirus Historical Overview
- WHO Hantavirus disease fact sheet
- Lee HW. "Korean hemorrhagic fever." 1976.