Is hantavirus like COVID-19? Five infectious disease experts answer some of the biggest questions about the outbreak.

Key Points:

• The hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius near Spain’s Canary Islands has resulted in 11 reported cases, including three deaths, with 18 U.S. passengers evacuated and under monitoring in medical centers.
• The Andes virus, a rare hantavirus strain endemic to parts of South America, can spread through close, prolonged contact and has a high fatality rate of 30-50%, but the risk to the general U.S. population is extremely low.
• Unlike COVID-19, the Andes virus is not highly contagious, with a transmission rate of about 3% that can rise to 17% in close contacts, and it requires close contact rather than casual exposure for spread.
• Health officials in multiple U.S. states are monitoring potentially exposed individuals through daily symptom checks and advising quarantine measures if needed, with no secondary cases reported so far.
• Experts emphasize that while the hantavirus outbreak is serious, measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases currently pose a greater public health threat in the U.S., and travelers are urged to stay up-to-date on vaccinations.