How Contagious Is The Hantavirus?
How contagious is hantavirus? Concerns are growing after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on May 4 that it was monitoring a cluster of severe respiratory illnesses aboard a cruise ship called the MV Hondus. As of May 7, there were 8 reported cases: five people have been confirmed to have hantavirus, and three others are suspected, […]
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How contagious is hantavirus? Concerns are growing after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on May 4 that it was monitoring a cluster of severe respiratory illnesses aboard a cruise ship called the MV Hondus. As of May 7, there were 8 reported cases: five people have been confirmed to have hantavirus, and three others are suspected, according to the WHO. The outbreak has resulted in three deaths and one critically ill patient.
According to the WHO, the strain identified on the ship is believed to be the Andes virus, the only known type of hantavirus capable of spreading from person to person. It’s commonly found in South America, where the cruise ship departed, and can cause severe illness.
According to the WHO’s notice, the vessel departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 and traveled across the South Atlantic, making multiple stops in remote and ecologically diverse regions, including mainland Antarctica, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena, and Ascension Island. It remains unclear whether passengers had contact with local wildlife during the voyage or prior to embarkation in Ushuaia.
How contagious is Hantavirus?
Hantavirus is typically transmitted to humans through contact with infected rodents, especially exposure to their urine, droppings, or saliva. In rare cases, infection can also occur through rodent bites or scratches, according to the CDC. Most hantavirus strains are not contagious between people, making the overall risk of human-to-human spread very low. However, the Andes virus is an exception, as limited person-to-person transmission has been documented among people in close contact with infected patients. Transmission between people has been associated with close, prolonged contact, particularly among family members, intimate partners, or healthcare providers. The pygmy rice rat primarily carries the Andes virus and spreads from person to person through close contact with an infected individual, including exposure to respiratory droplets produced by coughing, sneezing, or talking, as well as through the exchange of saliva, NBC News noted.
In addition to the Andes Virus, Hantavirus can cause two other severe illnesses.
Hantaviruses can cause two serious illnesses: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), which affects the lungs, and Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS), which primarily impacts the kidneys. HPS, the strain more commonly found in the United States, often begins with fever, fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, nausea, and abdominal pain before rapidly progressing to coughing, shortness of breath, and fluid buildup in the lungs. The CDC estimates that about 38% of patients who develop respiratory symptoms from HPS die from the disease.
HFRS, which is more common in Europe and Asia, causes symptoms such as severe headaches, fever, back pain, blurred vision, low blood pressure, internal bleeding, and, in severe cases, kidney failure. While some strains have fatality rates below 1%, others can kill up to 15% of infected patients.
How to protect yourself.
Currently, there is no licensed specific antiviral treatment or vaccine for hantavirus infection, according to the WHO. The agency considers the global public health risk from the cruise ship outbreak to be low but says investigations remain ongoing. Health officials continue to stress that the best way to prevent hantavirus infection is by avoiding contact with rodents and areas contaminated by rodent waste. Sealing homes, setting traps, and safely cleaning rodent-infested spaces are among the most effective prevention measures.
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