Risk of Puumala virus exposure rises in Finland

The risk of exposure to the Puumala virus, which causes nephropathia epidemica (myyräkuume), has increased due to a growing bank vole population, according to the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).

Luke warns the virus can spread to humans through inhalation when bank voles defecate indoors. Contaminated areas should be cleaned with a damp cloth, not a broom, to avoid stirring up infected particles.

Bank vole numbers have surged to peak levels in southern parts of North Ostrobothnia and Kainuu, while populations in eastern Finland, Central Finland, and South Ostrobothnia have collapsed from last autumn’s highs, Luke reports.