Key Questions In Bid To Stop Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak
Summary
Health officials are responding to a hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, with eight cases reported and three deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) is guiding the ship’s operators to manage passengers safely while experts assess the infection risk and develop plans for disembarkation.Key Facts
- Eight hantavirus cases have been reported related to the MV Hondius cruise ship, with five confirmed and three suspected.
- Three people have died from the outbreak so far.
- Passengers on the ship are asked to stay in their cabins, which are being disinfected. Those showing symptoms are isolated.
- WHO experts and doctors from the Netherlands and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control are onboard to evaluate passengers’ health.
- The ship left Cape Verde and is heading to Granadilla in the Canary Islands, a trip expected to take 3-4 days.
- Hantavirus symptoms can include fever, fatigue, muscle aches, coughing, and breathing difficulties, with a 38% death rate among those who develop respiratory problems.
- The virus spreads mainly through contact with urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents, and human-to-human spread is rare except with the Andes virus.
- There is currently no widely available vaccine for hantavirus in the United States.
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