Commentary: Will the hantavirus outbreak become Covid 2.0?

Health authorities are scrambling to trace dozens of people who recently disembarked from the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius following a hantavirus outbreak that killed three people and infected many others.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), five of the eight suspected cases have been confirmed. Among the dead was a 69-year-old Dutch woman who tested positive for the virus.

The outbreak attracted international attention after an Andean strain of hantavirus, the only known variant capable of spreading from person to person, was found among passengers on board. South Africa’s health minister confirmed that the strain was detected in a British man being treated in Johannesburg and a Dutch woman who died.Passengers on the ship are confined to their cabins to limit contact while health officials continue to trace close contacts and monitor possible infections.

What is the Andean strain of hantavirus?

Hantaviruses are a group of viruses named after a river in South Korea. They belong to the order Bunyaviridae and family Hantaviridae.More than 20 viruses of the genus Hantavirus have been identified worldwide, but only a limited number are known to cause disease in humans. Most involve rodents, especially rats and mice, which carry the virus but don’t get sick.People usually become infected through contact with rodent urine, feces, or saliva, often by breathing contaminated air.The Andes strain, found primarily 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 stressed that this outbreak is not comparable to the Covid-19 pandemic.Maria van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the World Health Organization, told a news conference that this was different from the situation with Covid-19 six years ago because hantaviruses spread through “close, intimate contact.”Unlike Covid-19 or the flu, hantavirus is not easily spread through coughing or sneezing. Human-to-human transmission has only been documented with the Andes strain and requires very close, prolonged contact with someone who is showing symptoms.Experts say the overall risk to the global population remains very low and there is currently no evidence that the virus has spread beyond ships.Still, WHO officials warned that the virus should be taken seriously. They urged cross-border cooperation to track and contain the outbreak and warned that more cases could emerge due to the virus’s incubation period of up to eight weeks.

Past outbreaks in Argentina

WHO officials pointed to the 2018 and 2019 outbreak in Epuyan, Argentina, as an example of how to control the virus.During that outbreak, an infected person is believed to have spread the virus to 34 confirmed cases after a party, resulting in 11 deaths.Dr. Abdirahman Mahmoud of the World Health Organization said the cruise ship outbreak was “similar” to the one in Argentina, with the virus entering the population through an infected person.Researchers later described the outbreak in Argentina as the first known example of sustained human-to-human transmission of hantaviruses associated with a super-spreader event.

How are hantaviruses spread?

Hantavirus infections often occur where humans and rodents coexist.People usually become infected by breathing air contaminated by viral particles in rodent urine, feces or saliva. Rodent bites can also lead to infection.WHO officials said measures such as isolating infected patients, regular hand washing, contact tracing and infection control measures are critical to preventing further spread.

Symptoms and treatment

Hantavirus infection can cause two serious illnesses: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).HPS is commonly associated with the Andes strain and often begins with fatigue, fever, and muscle pain. Patients may subsequently develop headache, dizziness, chills, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and severe difficulty breathing.Mortality rates of HPS associated with Andean strains are estimated to be between 20% and 40%.The virus has a long incubation period, with symptoms appearing one to eight weeks after infection.HFRS initially presents with flu-like symptoms but can later affect the kidneys, causing low blood pressure, internal bleeding and acute renal failure.There are currently no specific treatments or widely available vaccines for hantavirus infections. However, WHO officials say early medical support can improve survival chances.Treatment for severe cases may include oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation, dialysis and intensive care. China and South Korea are currently using vaccines against certain strains of hantavirus, while researchers continue to test new treatments and vaccines.