DUBAI: In recent weeks global headlines have focused on several people being diagnosed with hantavirus on the trans-Atlantic cruise ship the MV Hondius.
For many, the spread of the rare disease on the ship and the subsequent quarantining of its passengers induced flashbacks of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
While the World Health Organization confirmed eight cases and three deaths among passengers and crew, experts from the organization emphasize that for most people, the risk remains extremely low.
What is hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are a group of zoonotic viruses, meaning they originate in animals, carried primarily by wild rodents. Each specific strain of the virus is typically associated with a particular rodent species, such as deer mice or white-footed mice in the US.
While the rodents can carry the virus long-term without getting sick, it can cause severe disease and death in humans.
How does it spread?
The primary way humans become infected is by inhaling microscopic particles from an infected rodent’s urine, droppings, or saliva. This often happens in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces where rodents have nested, such as cabins, sheds, or hiking shelters.
According to the WHO, the virus does not generally spread between humans. However, the Andes virus, found in South America, is the only known strain capable of limited human-to-human transmission.
Dr. Jorge Salinas of Stanford Medicine reportedly said: “There are respiratory viruses like flu and COVID-19 that are incredibly efficient at transmitting person to person.
“That’s what they have evolved to do. Hantavirus just isn’t like that. It can jump to a few people after close contact with an infected, symptomatic individual, but we don’t expect it to spread very far.”
Symptoms and severity
Hantavirus is rare but highly dangerous, with a fatality rate up to 50 percent in the Americas. Symptoms usually appear one to eight weeks after exposure and initially mimic the flu, including fever, muscle aches, and fatigue. However, the disease can rapidly progress depending on the region.
In the Americas it causes Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome, leading to severe pneumonia and fluid in the lungs. In Europe and Asia it causes Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome, which primarily affects the kidneys and blood vessels.
Prevention and care
There are currently no vaccines and specific antiviral treatments for hantavirus. Survival depends on early supportive medical care, such as intensive monitoring and mechanical ventilation.
Because there is no cure, prevention via rodent control is the best defense.
The recent cruise ship outbreak serves as a reminder that outbreaks can occur in unpredictable locations. Experts suggest this is part of a larger pattern where viruses continue to leap from animals to humans due to climate change and human expansion into wildlife habitats.
According to Salinas, the rarity of the disease has historically made it a low priority for research, but that needs to change.
“We should be investigating these diseases ... that means investing in surveillance, in research, in understanding how these viruses move through animal populations before they reach us.”
