Hanta test software — ready for the next wave

What is Hanta?

Hantaviruses are RNA viruses that cause two clinical pictures worldwide: in Europe and Asia, nephropathia epidemica (haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, HFRS); in South and North America, Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) with higher lethality. In Germany, Hantaviruses are transmitted almost exclusively by mice and small rodents — primarily by the bank vole, which carries the dominant Puumala virus. Subtypes Dobrava-Belgrade and Tula also occur. Transmission happens through inhalation of dust contaminated with mouse urine, faeces or saliva — for example when cleaning sheds, barns, garden houses or while hiking and camping in endemic areas.

Clinically a Hanta infection has two phases: first flu-like symptoms (fever, head and back pain, abdominal pain, visual disturbances), then the acute nephropathia epidemica with renal insufficiency — in severe cases dialysis is required. Most European cases are mild, but every suspicion has to be confirmed in the lab.

Human-to-human transmission with the Andes subtype

One peculiarity: the Andes-virus subtype from South America is the only known Hantavirus with documented human-to-human transmission — rare, only with close contact (households, care situations, closed travel groups like the current cruise ship). The other subtypes are not transmissible between humans.

For test centres and practices in Germany, this means: with suspected cases linked to travel to South or North America or Antarctic expeditions, travel history is essential, and a positive result may warrant local contact tracing. The software has to capture both.

When are Hanta waves?

Domestic Hanta outbreaks in Germany correlate with the beech mast: when beech trees produce abundant beechnuts (every 2–3 years), the bank-vole population booms in the following year — and so do the Hanta case numbers. The biggest waves were 2012 (~2,800 reported cases), 2017 (~1,700), 2019 (~1,700); hotspots are Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, NRW and Hesse.

On top of that, imported cases appear in returning travellers — and that source is growing, as the May-2026 outbreak shows. Travel history is no longer optional.

Diagnostic workflow

Hanta is not a point-of-care test — the sample always goes to the lab. Three test components matter:

• IgM antibodies — marker for acute infection. Detectable from day 3–5 after symptom onset, stays positive for several weeks.
• IgG antibodies — confirms diagnosis over time, indicates past infection and immunity. Stays positive lifelong.
• RT-PCR from serum or blood — direct genome detection in the early phase. Allows subtype typing (Puumala, Dobrava, Tula, Andes, Sin Nombre, Hantaan), critical for epidemiology and for assessing human-to-human risk. For suspected exotic subtypes, our software routes the sample directly to the RKI consultant laboratory for Hantaviruses.

Software features for Hanta test centres

• Online appointment booking with risk anamnesis — patients indicate before booking: outdoor activity (forestry, gardening, camping, hiking), region, possible mouse-excrement contact, symptom onset. The software calculates a risk score and prioritises slots.
• Travel history — patients enter their travel record of the last 6 weeks (continent, countries, type of trip — e.g. Antarctic expedition cruise, Amazon trek). The software automatically flags high-risk combinations for exotic subtypes (Andes, Sin Nombre) and triggers the right follow-up tests.
• Contact-tracing module — for a positive Andes-virus result (rare human-to-human): the software captures close contacts of the last 14 days in a structured way, generates GDPR-compliant outreach letters and, on request, sends test invitations automatically.
• Multilingual booking — tourism in Southern Germany: bookings in German, English, French, Italian, Spanish.
• Sample-shipping workflow — automatic creation of the lab requisition (with patient data, anamnesis, suspected diagnosis ICD-10 A98.5), QR-label sample tagging, shipping tracking.
• Lab result reception — interfaces to all major diagnostic labs (LDM, Sonic Healthcare, Bioscientia, SYNLAB). IgM/IgG/PCR results land automatically in the patient record.
• Digital result delivery — signed PDF emailed to the patient (encrypted); for positives optionally a phone consultation slot.
• DEMIS Hanta reporting — automatic notification of the responsible health authority on positive IgM or PCR (24-hour legal deadline under §7 (1) IfSG). CSV export or direct DEMIS API.
• Payments — for self-pay tests (travel, insurance requirement, occupational medicine): online (Mollie, Stripe) or on site.
• White-label for district health authorities — own logo, colours, subdomain. Multi-site under one roof.
• Mobile test-trupp mode — tablet-friendly version for mobile testing in endemic areas (e.g. after a local outbreak).
• Patient self-check tool — patients answer a short symptom/risk questionnaire before booking. Classic Hanta symptoms + risk exposure → priority slot; low risk → routed to GP triage. Reduces test-centre load.

Workflow at the test centre

1. 1Patient books online with risk and travel anamnesis and symptom timeline.
2. 2Booking confirmation by email with QR code for contactless check-in.
3. 3On site: QR-based check-in, blood draw, sample tagged with the requisition.
4. 4Lab receives sample, runs IgM/IgG or PCR, sends the result back through the interface.
5. 5Patient gets the result as a signed PDF by email.
6. 6On a positive result automatic DEMIS reporting to the health authority, optional consultation slot.

Who is this software for?

• GP practices in endemic regions (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, NRW, Hesse, Lower Saxony)
• Travel medicine practices and tropical clinics — patients before/after South-/North-American or Antarctic-cruise travel, outdoor activities in endemic areas
• Port and airport medics — suspected cases right after entry, with travel-history tooling
• District health authorities — as a white-label solution for local population and contact tracing
• Mobile test trupps — for acute local outbreaks or cluster situations
• Occupational medicine services — for forestry, agriculture and construction
• University hospitals and tropical institutes with their own intake (e.g. modelled on the UKD infection unit)

FAQ

Is Hanta transmitted from human to human?

For domestic European subtypes (Puumala, Dobrava-Belgrade, Tula): no — transmission only from rodents to humans. For the South-American Andes-virus, rare human-to-human transmission via close contact is documented. Current example: the May-2026 outbreak on an Antarctic cruise ship. That’s why our software captures the subtype on a positive PCR and automatically unlocks the contact-tracing module on Andes / Sin-Nombre hits.

Who should get tested for Hanta?

People with acute flu-like symptoms (fever, head/back pain) and possible mouse contact in the last 4 weeks — forestry work, gardening, cleaning sheds or huts, camping in endemic areas. Plus travellers returning from South or North America or Antarctic expeditions with similar symptoms. Also unexplained renal insufficiency in affected regions usually triggers a Hanta test.

Is the software DEMIS-ready?

Yes. Hantavirus infections are notifiable under §7 (1) IfSG. The software produces DEMIS-compliant notifications with patient, diagnosis and lab data and submits them to the responsible health authority. CSV export or direct API push.

How fast can I deploy?

We set up your tenant instance within 24 hours, configure locations, services and lab interfaces and train your team. On request, the pre-configured hardware bundle ships by express.

Which labs are integrated?

Interfaces to all major diagnostic labs (LDM, Sonic Healthcare, Bioscientia, SYNLAB, Limbach Group). If your preferred lab is not listed, we integrate the interface within a few days.

Can other serological tests run on the platform?

Yes. The platform is generic: TBE, Lyme, leptospirosis, Q-fever and other zoonotic or vector-borne pathogens use the same shipping/result/notification workflow. Just ask.