A hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship has put 18 Americans under medical monitoring across the United States, raising urgent questions about how the virus spreads and whether it could be the next major public health threat.
As of Tuesday, one passenger is being monitored at a biocontainment unit at the University of Nebraska, while 15 others are quarantining at the university’s National Quarantine Center. Two more passengers, including one showing symptoms have been sent to a biocontainment unit at Emory University in Atlanta. That symptomatic individual has tested negative for the Andes variant of hantavirus which is the only known strain capable of spreading from person to person, according to USA Today.
Globally, the World Health Organization confirmed at least 11 people have either confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus connected to the cruise ship outbreak, including three deaths. WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned the number could rise. “The incubation period is also six to eight weeks. So, because of the interaction while they were still in the ship, especially before they started taking some infectious prevention measures… we would expect more cases,” he said at a Tuesday news conference, per USA Today.
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What is a ‘Generation 3’ case and why it’s alarming?
One of the biggest concerns driving public fear is the reported possibility of a so-called “Generation 3” transmission.
Generation 1 case is a direct infection from the original source. A Generation 2 case happens when that infected person passes it to another human. A Generation 3 case means the virus has spread yet again through another human chain.
Reports of a possible third-generation spread have raised fears online that the virus may now spread more easily from one person to another. However, just because a few people passed the virus to others does not mean the virus has become highly contagious.
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Is hantavirus airborne like Covid?
Despite growing concern, scientists and the WHO are clear that hantavirus does not spread through the air the way Covid-19 does. However, few symptoms may look similar but they are not same.
Most hantavirus infections occur when people breathe in virus particles from the urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents, according to CDC. It can also, in rare cases spread through a bite or scratch from an infected rodent. Hantaviruses cause two serious conditions, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which affects the lungs and is primarily found in the Western Hemisphere including the United States and second is hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which affects the kidneys and is more common in Europe and Asia.
HPS is particularly dangerous. According to the CDC, 38 percent of people who develop respiratory symptoms from the disease may die from it. Symptoms typically appear one to eight weeks after contact with an infected rodent and begin with fatigue, fever and muscle aches, before progressing to coughing, shortness of breath and a dangerous buildup of fluid in the lungs.
While the Andes virus strain found in South America can spread between humans in close-contact situations, experts stress that even this transmission remains limited.
There is no specific treatment for hantavirus for now. Patients are given supportive care including rest, hydration and symptom management. Those with severe breathing difficulties may need intubation, while kidney complications from HFRS may require dialysis.
