Cruise ship with hantavirus may have seen a rare occurrence: humans infecting humans
NPR • • general
Key Points:
- A hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship off Cape Verde has raised concerns about possible human-to-human transmission, a rare occurrence typically spread via rodent excretions.
- There are two confirmed and five suspected cases among 147 passengers and crew, with three deaths and one patient in intensive care in South Africa; two others are being evacuated to the Netherlands for treatment.
- The virus strain is suspected to be the Andes Virus, known for rare human-to-human transmission and linked to Argentina, where the first infected passenger had traveled before the cruise.
- Public health officials emphasize isolation and quarantine measures for close contacts due to potential human transmission, differing from standard rodent exposure protocols, with ongoing monitoring and protective equipment use.
- The cruise ship will proceed to the Canary Islands for a full epidemiologic investigation, disinfection, and passenger assessment, while South African authorities work on sequencing the virus.
