A recent outbreak of hantavirus on the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius has resulted in at least 10 confirmed or suspected cases, including three fatalities. Despite the severity of the situation, health officials, including World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, emphasize that the risk to the public is extremely low, distinguishing it from the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike COVID-19, hantavirus is not easily transmissible and requires prolonged contact for person-to-person spread. It primarily infects deep in the lungs, making it less likely to be spread through the air. The virus is typically spread by rodents in dry climates, and the strain involved in this outbreak, the Andes virus, is found in South America. Infectious disease experts, like Dr. Céline Gounder, compare the virus’s spread to a “wet log in a stone fireplace,” indicating it is unlikely to spread widely. Eighteen American passengers from the cruise are being monitored in specialized facilities as a precaution.
QUESTION: How might the differences in transmission between hantavirus and COVID-19 influence public health responses to future outbreaks?
Why hantavirus is not like COVID, according to infectious disease experts
