DON’T MISS
IamExpat FairIamExpat Job BoardIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Expat Info
German news & articles
Dangerous hantavirus on the up: Stuttgart is the "epicentre"
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

Dangerous hantavirus on the up: Stuttgart is the "epicentre"

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:



Related Stories

German farm offering video calls with alpacas during coronavirus shutdownGerman farm offering video calls with alpacas during coronavirus shutdown
Easter under lockdown: What is and isn't allowed over the holidays?Easter under lockdown: What is and isn't allowed over the holidays?
Coronavirus: How to apply for financial assistance in GermanyCoronavirus: How to apply for financial assistance in Germany
Why is the coronavirus death rate in Germany so low?Why is the coronavirus death rate in Germany so low?
GP surgeries across Germany to remain closed on Monday due to strikeGP surgeries across Germany to remain closed on Monday due to strike
First monkeypox cases confirmed in Germany, health ministry expects moreFirst monkeypox cases confirmed in Germany, health ministry expects more
Heidelberg University shooting: Lots of questions remain unansweredHeidelberg University shooting: Lots of questions remain unanswered
Several injured and one dead after attack at Heidelberg University campusSeveral injured and one dead after attack at Heidelberg University campus
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usImpressumSitemap
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat FairWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
May 19, 2019
Abi Carter

Editor in chief at IamExpat Media

Abi studied German and History at the University of Manchester and has since lived in Berlin, Hamburg and Utrecht, working since 2017 as a writer, editor and content marketeer. Although she's happily taken on some German and Dutch quirks, she keeps a stash of Yorkshire Tea on hand, because nowhere does a brew quite like home.Read more

The number of cases of hantavirus - a potentially deadly disease carried by mice and other rodents - has dramatically increased in Germany this year. A particularly high number of infections have been recorded in the German city of Stuttgart, which is now considered an “epicentre” for the virus.

Hantavirus on the up in Germany and Stuttgart

More and more people are catching the harmful hantavirus. There have already been more than 200 registered cases in Baden-Württemberg in 2019, compared with only a dozen or so in the same period last year. Those infected experience flu-like symptoms, which in more severe cases can lead to kidney failure and lung disease.

The number of cases in Stuttgart has risen particularly sharply. The regional council announced on May 15 that so far this year 211 cases have already been reported. Nowhere else in the world has there been so many cases, leading experts to now consider the city an “epicentre” for the disease.

Bumper year for rodents causes increase in infections

The hantavirus is carried by living hosts, usually rodents. Although the animals themselves are not harmed, once infected they continuously excrete the virus through their saliva or faeces. The virus particles can then be inhaled by humans.

Optimal breeding conditions for bank voles - one of the primary carriers of the disease in Germany - in the past year seem to be the primary reason for this recent upshift in infection rates. More voles equals more infections. The bad news is that climate change could make bumper years like this more common in future.

How to protect yourself from the hantavirus

If you are living in or near Stuttgart, you should take some precautions so that rodent-carriers do not nest in your home. If you work outdoors or are clearing spaces such as garages, cellars or barns, it is advisable you wear a dust mask to protect yourself from potentially breathing in the hantavirus. Making the floor wet before commencing work also stops the dust from spreading.

Hantavirus symptoms are similar to those associated with the flu: high fever, headaches, joint and back pains. If you have a fever that does not go away, if you notice blood in your urine, or if you are concerned that you might be infected, consult with your doctor as a precaution.

By Abi Carter