Hantavirus in South Korea — 1976

Hantaan virus isolated near the Hantan River — naming the entire virus family

Overview

1976 is the founding year of modern hantavirus virology. Korean virologist Lee Ho-Wang and his team at Korea University identified hantavirus antigen in the lungs of striped field mice (Apodemus agrarius) trapped near the Hantan River in South Korea — resolving the 25-year mystery of the Korean War haemorrhagic fever that had affected more than 3,000 UN troops between 1951 and 1954. The virus was isolated in cell culture in 1981 and named Hantaan virus after the river. The discovery gave the entire virus family its name and provided the reference reagents that later linked Puumala virus, Seoul virus, and the New World HPS-causing strains to a unified taxonomic group.

South Korea baseline

Hantavirus's namesake region (Hantaan River). Inactivated Hantaan vaccine available for high-risk populations.

Source: Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA)

Relevant strain

References & primary sources

• Lee HW et al. 1978 — Isolation of the etiologic agent of Korean hemorrhagic fever

Other years tracked for South Korea