Global health authorities are closely monitoring the hantavirus outbreak aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius after more cases were confirmed among passengers and crew. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged the public not to panic, stressing that the outbreak is “not another COVID-19.”
According to the latest news reports, two people who returned to the UK from the cruise ship have been told to self-isolate, the UK Health Security Agency told Sky News. It is now also believed that a Dutch couple who visited a landfill during a bird-watching tour in Argentina may be the source of the outbreak.
According to recent reports, at least eight people linked to the voyage have developed confirmed or suspected hantavirus infections, while three deaths have already been reported. The cruise ship, which had been stranded off the coast of Cape Verde, is now heading toward Spain’s Canary Islands as authorities coordinate medical evacuations and containment measures.
Also read:Hantavirus Alert: 10 Crucial Facts Everyone Should Know
Health officials confirmed that the outbreak involves the rare Andes strain of hantavirus - the only known hantavirus variant capable of limited human-to-human transmission.
The strain is mainly found in parts of Argentina and Chile, where the cruise reportedly began its journey.
Despite growing public concern, WHO experts say the virus behaves very differently from COVID-19. Hantavirus is not considered highly contagious and generally requires prolonged close contact for person-to-person spread. “This is not the next COVID-19. But it is a serious infectious disease. You know, it's an infectious disease that if people get infected, and infections are uncommon, they can die. And so, again, people hearing this that are on the ship are, you know, very rightly so scared, and the general public might be scared as well. So, early information, accurate information is critical, knowing what your actual exposure might be. And most people will never be exposed to this," said epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove.
Most hantavirus infections are usually linked to exposure to infected rodent urine, droppings, or saliva.
Hantavirus is not considered highly contagious and generally requires prolonged close contact for person-to-person spread
Symptoms of hantavirus infection often begin with fever, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, and gastrointestinal problems. In severe cases, patients can develop hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a life-threatening respiratory illness that can rapidly progress to breathing difficulties and organ complications.
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