WHO confirms five cases of hantavirus linked to cruise ship

"Hantaviruses are a group of viruses carried by rodents that can cause severe disease in people. They usually get infected through contact with infected rodents, their urine, droppings or saliva. The strain of hantavirus detected on the Dutch-flagged cruise ship is the Andes virus. It has been found in Latin America and is the only hantavirus known to be capable of limited human-to-human transmission."

"In previous outbreaks, transmission between people has been associated with long and prolonged contacts among household members, intimate partners and healthcare workers. The first death on the ship was a man who developed symptoms on April 6 and died five days later. No samples were taken, and hantavirus was not identified because the symptoms were similar to other viruses."

"While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low. Eight cases have been reported so far, including three dead, five confirmed and three suspected. The WHO says more cases are possible, but the risk to public health remains low."

Hantaviruses are rodent-borne viruses causing severe human disease, typically transmitted through contact with infected rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. The WHO confirmed five hantavirus cases aboard the Hondius cruise ship sailing from Cape Verde to Tenerife, with three deaths reported and three additional suspected cases. The detected strain is Andes virus, found in Latin America and notably the only hantavirus capable of limited human-to-human transmission. Previous outbreaks show transmission occurs through prolonged contact among household members, intimate partners, and healthcare workers. The first death occurred in a man who developed symptoms on April 6 and died five days later; his wife subsequently became the second victim. Despite the serious incident, WHO maintains that public health risk remains low.

Read at www.aljazeera.com