The headlines have been alarming: a rare virus that is usually spread by rodents circulated among people on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, leaving at least three people dead and several others critically ill.
It’s the same family of viruses, known as the hantavirus, that killed Betsy Arakawa, wife of actor Gene Hackman, last year.
Hantavirus is rare but devastating. It causes serious disease to the lungs and sometimes kidneys. As many as 38 percent of people who develop respiratory symptoms will die from hantavirus.
Infectious diseases specialists, such as those within the UNC SPARC (Special Pathogens Response Center) are communicating about hantavirus and have a plan to respond to any cases, but the threat to the general public is very low, says UNC Health infectious diseases specialist David Wohl, MD, a co-leader of SPARC.
“I treat this virus with a healthy respect, but I don’t think anyone who was not on this ship or interacting with its passengers needs to be worried about this,” he says.
Here are three things to know about hantavirus.
1. Hantavirus is generally spread by rodents, but human-to-human transmission is possible.
Most of the time when people get hantavirus, it’s traced to contact with rodents, particularly their urine and droppings. Only one strain of the hantavirus, the Andes strain, is known to pass from human to human. That’s what appears to have happened on the cruise, which departed from Argentina: Someone boarded the ship infected and inadvertently passed it to others.
“This is a perfect storm of somebody getting infected on land and going on a cruise ship, which is a very confined space,” Dr. Wohl says. “The introduction of a pathogen like this can spread from person to person easily in this kind of setting.”
The Andes strain of hantavirus is endemic to parts of South America but typically not found in the United States. Other strains are, especially in Western states, and these are very rarely spread from person to person. Dr. Wohl recommends wearing an N95 mask when cleaning garages, cabins or any other place you may come into contact with rodent waste to avoid breathing in virus particles. Wear gloves, too.
2. Public health officials do not expect an outbreak in the United States.
More than a dozen Americans were on the ship and at least three have returned home to the states, but so far none has been reported to have symptoms and they’re being monitored closely by public health officials, Dr. Wohl says.
“I’m not too worried about hantavirus being imported with these people,” Dr. Wohl says. “I think this is a contained and controlled situation.”
The Andes strain is passed from person to person through respiratory droplets, but it does not appear to be as contagious as other respiratory illnesses such as the flu and COVID-19. Even so, doctors and nurses who care for these patients wear extensive protective equipment, Dr. Wohl says.
Early symptoms include fatigue and fever and sometimes diarrhea. Days later, coughing and shortness of breath develop, and the lungs can fill with fluid. There’s no specific treatment for hantavirus, and patients are sometimes intubated. Symptoms appear between one and eight weeks after exposure.
UNC SPARC is one of 13 centers across the nation that are federally funded to care for people with certain infections, such as hantavirus. SPARC has trained staff and the equipment needed to safely provide this medical care, Dr. Wohl says.
3. You don’t need to take extra precautions, but remember basic infection prevention steps when traveling.
Because wider spread is not expected, infectious diseases experts are not recommending precautions against hantavirus among the general public. If you’re traveling, particularly if you’re taking a cruise, where other infectious diseases such as norovirus often spread, this is a good reminder to take basic steps to stay healthy.
“Make sure your shots are up to date—your flu shot, your COVID shot, your pneumonia shot, your RSV shot if you’re eligible,” Dr. Wohl says. “And don’t get on a cruise ship or a plane if you’re sick.”
If you have questions about avoiding infections, talk to your doctor or find one near you.