More than 100 passengers from a luxury cruise ship have been evacuated due to an outbreak of hantavirus, with 18 Americans now in biocontainment units. The World Health Organization’s director-general has assured that this is unlikely to become a global crisis.
The Andes virus, identified on the MV Hondius, spreads primarily through contaminated rodent droppings and urine. Inhaling these particles can lead to severe disease, with a high mortality rate in some cases. Experts say it’s not as infectious as SARS-Cov-2 and doesn’t spread easily from person to person.
Symptoms start with generalized ones such as fever, headache, fatigue, and muscle pain, progressing quickly to serious illness. Close contact with an infected individual is necessary for transmission, unlike airborne viruses like measles. While the virus can be contracted by touching contaminated surfaces, this risk remains low in everyday situations.
The confined spaces of a cruise ship may have exacerbated the situation, but proper ventilation and containment measures can effectively stop its spread. For now, the average person has little to worry about, provided they follow basic hygiene practices.
