Health authorities are racing to trace dozens of people who recently disembarked from the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius after a hantavirus outbreak onboard left three people dead and several others infected.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), five of eight suspected cases have been confirmed. Among the dead is a 69-year-old Dutch woman who tested positive for the virus.The outbreak has drawn international attention after the Andes strain of hantavirus — the only known variant capable of spreading between people — was identified in passengers onboard. South Africa’s health minister confirmed the strain was detected in a British man being treated in Johannesburg and in the Dutch woman who died.Passengers aboard the ship have been confined to their cabins to limit exposure, while health officials continue tracing close contacts and monitoring possible infections.
What is the Andes strain of hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses named after a river in South Korea. They belong to the Hantaviridae family within the order Bunyavirales.More than 20 hantavirus species have been identified worldwide, though only a limited number are known to cause disease in humans. Most are linked to rodents, especially rats and mice, which carry the virus without becoming ill.People are usually infected through exposure to rodent urine, droppings, or saliva, often by breathing in contaminated air.The Andes strain, mainly found in Argentina and Chile, is the only hantavirus known to spread from person to person, although such transmission is considered very rare.
Is this another Covid-19 situation?
WHO officials have stressed that the outbreak is not comparable to the Covid-19 pandemic.Maria van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the WHO, told a news briefing that it was not the same situation as six years ago with Covid-19, because hantavirus spreads through “close, intimate contact”.Unlike Covid-19 or flu, hantavirus does not spread easily through coughing or sneezing. Human-to-human transmission has only been documented with the Andes strain and requires very close, prolonged contact with someone showing symptoms.Experts say the overall risk to the global population remains very low, and there is currently no evidence of spread beyond the ship.Still, WHO officials warned the virus should be taken seriously. They urged cross-border collaboration to trace and contain the outbreak and cautioned that more cases could emerge because the virus has an incubation period of up to eight weeks.
Past outbreak in Argentina
WHO officials are pointing to an outbreak in Epuyén, Argentina, in 2018 and 2019 as an example of how the virus can be controlled.During that outbreak, one infected person is believed to have spread the virus to 34 confirmed cases after a party, resulting in 11 deaths.Dr. Abdirahman Mahamud of the WHO said the cruise ship outbreak is “similar” to the Argentine outbreak, where the virus entered the human population through a single infected person.Researchers later described the Argentina outbreak as the first known example of sustained person-to-person hantavirus transmission linked to a super-spreader event.
How does hantavirus spread?
Hantavirus infections usually occur in places where people and rodents coexist.People typically become infected by breathing in air contaminated with virus particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. Infection can also happen through rodent bites.WHO officials said measures such as isolating infected patients, regular handwashing, tracing close contacts, and infection control practices will be critical in preventing further spread.
Symptoms and treatment
Hantavirus infection can cause two serious illnesses: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) and Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS).HPS, commonly linked to the Andes strain, often begins with fatigue, fever, and muscle aches. Patients may later develop headaches, dizziness, chills, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and severe breathing difficulties.The mortality rate for HPS linked to the Andes strain is estimated to be between 20% and 40%.The virus has a long incubation period, with symptoms appearing anywhere between one and eight weeks after infection.HFRS begins with flu-like symptoms but can later affect the kidneys, leading to low blood pressure, internal bleeding, and acute kidney failure.There is currently no specific treatment or widely available vaccine for hantavirus infections. However, WHO officials said early medical support can improve survival chances.Treatment for severe cases may include oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation, dialysis, and intensive care. Vaccines against some hantavirus strains are currently used in China and South Korea, while researchers continue to test new treatments and vaccines.
