The key facts
- Since the beginning of 2026, no HFRS outbreaks have been recorded in Russia; the situation has been described as stable and under control
- Rises in mouse fever incidence occur on average every 3–5 years and are linked to the bank vole population
- Earlier, Life.ru, citing regional data, reported 1512 cases in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Udmurtia, the Nizhny Novgorod and Saratov regions
The agency refuted reports of outbreaks
Rospotrebnadzor reported that since the beginning of 2026, not a single outbreak of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), known as mouse fever, has been registered in Russia. According to the agency, the incidence level corresponds to long-term average figures, and the registered cases do not indicate an epidemic or an extraordinary rise in the number of infected people. The statement was made against the backdrop of reports about the spread of the infection in several regions, as reported by Life.ru.
Cyclicity and previously announced figures
Rospotrebnadzor explained that this infection is characterized by cyclical rises in incidence — on average every 3–5 years — and these are largely linked to the numbers and infection rates of rodents, primarily the bank vole, the main carrier of HFRS pathogens in natural foci. Earlier, the same outlet reported 1512 cases of mouse fever in five regions: according to SHOT, cases were detected in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Udmurtia, the Nizhny Novgorod and Saratov regions. The source of infection can be the excretions of infected rodents, particles of which enter the air along with dust. Thus, the agency does not deny the cases themselves, but assesses them as consistent with the usual background rather than as an outbreak.
