Why the hantavirus outbreak is different from COVID-19
Summary
Passengers exposed to hantavirus on the MV Hondius cruise ship have been flown to the Netherlands amid ongoing efforts to find the source of the outbreak. Health experts say hantavirus spreads differently and is less likely to cause a global health crisis compared to COVID-19.Key Facts
- The MV Hondius cruise ship had a hantavirus outbreak; passengers have been evacuated to the Netherlands.
- Communities where passengers have traveled have shown concern and protests due to fear of virus exposure.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) says the public health risk from hantavirus is currently low.
- Hantaviruses cause two illnesses: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which affects the lungs, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which affects the kidneys.
- Hantavirus is mainly spread through contact with infected rodents’ urine, saliva, or droppings, especially when these particles become airborne.
- HPS has a high death rate of about 40%, while HFRS death rates vary between 1% and 15%.
- The Andes strain of hantavirus can spread from person to person but only to a limited degree.
- Hantavirus outbreaks have been known since the Korean War in the 1950s and continue to appear in various parts of the world.
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