Hantavirus - What should we know?

Let’s talk about the facts.

The people who got hantavirus on that cruise were extremely old and immunocompromised. I’ve looked into this closely, and this is not person to person spread. This is rodent exposure, infected rodents on board, and poor ventilation. That is how this virus spreads.

And I understand there is speculation about human to human spread on the ship, but that does not match what we know about hantavirus biology. I also understand there are ongoing concerns about what exactly is present on board. A friend who works as a doctor on the ship said that rodents on the ship tested positive for hantavirus, which would support a rodent source rather than transmission between people.

The only strain that has ever been shown to transmit between humans is the Andes virus, found in places like Argentina. Even then, it requires EXTREMELY close, VERY prolonged contact with someone who is actively sick. Not casual contact. Not shared air at a distance. Very close exposure.

For strains like Sin Nombre virus, which is what is typically seen elsewhere, there is no human to human transmission at all.

So no, this is not spreading person to person on that ship. The pattern fits a rodent exposure source.
And even then, the people diagnosed with hantavirus from the cruise are either deceased or being kept in isolation for precaution. There is no risk of spread from them.

If you are concerned, the practical steps are simple. Practice hygiene, wash your hands, and avoid potential contamination sources.
You will not get infected with hantavirus.

By the way, I’ve worked in Argentina and helped with hantavirus cases in high risk settings. I’ve been studying it since 1993.

@ashlynnmae kind of funny - what do you call "extremely" old? I'm 82 and could easily go on a cruise and don't consider myself in that category!

@ehdog Please read the post from @ashlynnmae and take it to heart. Hanta Virus is not spread from person to person like a cold or the flu, only by infected rodents. Chance of death from Hanta Virus in the US is less than one in 100,000,000.

Let's talk instead about what we call "doom scrolling" - people who have a tendency to worry need to avoid going down "rabbit holes." In the days of instant news, information and scare stories it is easy to become paralyzed by fears of "what if."

I have a disease that puts me at high risk of a certain lung infection, years ago when I was scared out of my mind by all the dire posts regarding treatment, prognosis, and a very long list of precautions I "must take" both my infectious disease doctor and my primary doc gave me the best advice I ever heard.
"Take reasonable precautions and go out and live your best life."

So my advice to people with health anxiety is this:
"Get off the internet and your phone, eat and exercise, take reasonable precautions to stay healthy, go out and live your best life."

You can't catch hantavirus from another person, just from a rodent. I live in a county in New Mexico where indeed there is hantavirus. Out of several million people in the state, there are a very few cases per decade. It is almost always caught from cleaning out rodent droppings in an unventilated space--like an old shed. If doing this kind of cleaning, we wear masks and gloves, open a window, and wash our hands. I think the chance of getting it another way is close to impossible. Try not to worry about such an unlikely occurrence. Are you going on a cruise? If you have any concerns about your health it is fine to just wear a face mask and practice good hand washing. I hope this helps.

Only a few confined areas in US where it is found.
Are you in a known risk area? In this country it is not known to spread person to person. If you are in an endemic area wear a mask when cleaning potential areas of mouse infestation or droppings. Very rare
In this country
.

@seniormed

I don't think I'm in a high risk area but what I worry is one of the cruise ship people will infect someone who will infect someone and so on and so forth. Like COVID.

@ehdog But, unlike COVID, we have the pandemic knowledge to guide the actions of all involved.
On the side of safety:
The strain of virus has been isolated.
All on the ship are being isolated there until a plan can be formulated. this may include quarantine, on the ship or elsewhere, until the incubation period has passed.
There are just 17 Americans on the ship, and even if the cruise company and the South African government release them, the American government will surely quarantine and monitor them.
Anyone entering the ship is a professional, taking full precautions with haz-mat suits, ventilators and full decontamination before going back into the public.

What other issues do you think need to be addressed to relieve toyr fears?