News of the recent hantavirus outbreak came as a surprise to most people, myself included. It was incredibly surreal as it brought back the memory of being rushed to hospital when I was 5 years old, only to learn I had this deadly virus my family had never heard of. Growing up, I always wanted to learn more, but there was so little information about the virus available.
I now know that hantaviruses are caused by coming into contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva. There are two types, the first is hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which has a mortality rate of 35 to 40 percent. The second type is hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, which has a death rate between 1 and 15 percent. I was not cognizant of the severity of the deadly virus back then, but the memory of what I went through has always stayed with me.
I may have been young, but the horrifying experience taught me the importance of being hopeful and embracing life, no matter what.
Traumatizing Symptoms That Left Lasting Scars
My earliest memory is Halloween 1993, when I experienced severe abdominal pain and started vomiting while I was in class at school. I was sent home and continued vomiting in the bushes as I walked back and once I got home too. It was so traumatic and this was actually the last time I can remember throwing up.
My mom took me to the doctor but they said it was just the flu and sent me home. A day later, I became very weak and could not even walk. Again, my mother took me to the doctors, and they continued saying it was just the flu.
The fatigue reached the point where I could no longer walk, and I was throwing up five times a day. I did not think it could get worse, but later that evening, I began having diarrhea symptoms as well. I slept in my parents’ bed and then the most disturbing symptom started as I began to hemorrhage rectally. My mom picked me up and there was blood on the blankets, and I continued to bleed even as I was taken to the hospital. It was uncontrollable. I had a rash all over my body as well which looked like tiny blood spots.
The Revelation Which Led to a Diagnosis
My parents had taken me to the doctor’s office twice already, but after seeing all the blood in the bed, I was rushed to the hospital. Doctors did not know what was causing it so they sent me to a children’s hospital for further testing. I had to be transferred by ambulance with a specialist, and they recommended that my parents should not accompany me in case I went into cardiac arrest. At the time, I did not know why I was by myself, but my mom later told me that there was a chance I could die and the doctors didn’t want my parents to interfere.
The bloody stool was the most frightening, but I also experienced extreme swelling and pain through my body while I was in the hospital. My mother observed nervously as the swelling slowly traveled across my entire body.
I was in the hospital for around a week, and they weren’t sure what I had for the first couple of days. Eventually, one doctor had a revelation and said it sounded like something called hantavirus. I was ultimately diagnosed with hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. It causes fever, bleeding, kidney failure and can be fatal. As it is so rare, the doctors were constantly documenting everything I went through for future cases in children.
I am not entirely sure how I caught it, although it was most likely from playing outside in areas where there are rat droppings or the urine of a rat carrying the disease.
The Danger of Lifelong Side Effects from Hantavirus
When we found out it was hantavirus, my mother had never heard of it and thought she had not protected me enough. But doctors assured her it was not her fault, and it was something I caught from just being a kid playing outside. There was no official treatment, they just continued to give me fluids, hot compresses and Benadryl.
I have many memories of the experience, in fact, some of my earliest memories are from this incident. I don’t necessarily remember being afraid, but I do remember being annoyed that they constantly had to check my blood and check me rectally.
Doctors were concerned that I could have long-term complications from the virus, including vision loss, cognitive problems or issues with pregnancy in the future. As a result, I had to be monitored for two years after contracting the virus, but thankfully, I am now perfectly healthy. Hantavirus did leave me with a fear of vomiting however, and I have not thrown up since 1993. I cannot be around people who are being sick, and I get extremely anxious when my stomach starts to feel queasy. This phobia has prevented me from trying new things, traveling and being in spaces where someone around me might get sick.
I have seen videos of people talking about hantavirus research and it’s been weirdly healing. I like being able to learn more about it, and I became super interested in infectious diseases as an adult.
My advice to others is to try to think positively and to still have hope even in scary situations.
It may be daunting but enjoy your life while taking precautions where possible. Be careful when placing food outside for wildlife (we used to have bird seeds in our backyard which attracted rats). Also, wear a mask, gloves and goggles when you are working in areas that might have rat infestations—or any other contagious virus. It could just save your life.
Shaina Montiel, 38, is a teacher in Whittier, California who has been documenting her personal experience with hantavirus online (@shainstuh on TikTok) to educate others.
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