Hantavirus Has People Concerned — Here’s How It Spreads

Every few years, there's a new virus to worry about, and somehow those viruses tend to spread on cruise ships or planes first. Well, sort of, anyway. That's the way it sometimes seems to the rest of the world. Now, it's a virus called hantavirus, and those who are unfamiliar with it want to know how contagious it is and if people can contract the disease from person to person, as is the case with other viruses.

CNN reported that the small cruise ship MV Hondius, which can hold around 170 passengers at a time, reported three passengers dead and others sick from what is reportedly believed to be hantavirus.

The disease is not always fatal, and hantavirus is actually used to describe a family of viruses that fall under its umbrella. The contagion is what people want to know about now.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, hantavirus is not typically spread from person to person. Unlike the classic flu or even COVID-19, hantavirus is not passed from the germs of one person to another. Instead, it is contracted by coming into contact with poop, spit, or urine from rodents that have the disease.

If someone breathes in air around these types of droppings from rodents, mostly mice and rats, then they can contract hantavirus. While that's the most common way humans contract the virus, they can also get it if they are scratched or bitten by an animal that has hantavirus. Or, if they eat food contaminated by rodent droppings, urine, or spit from rodents that have the disease.

Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), symptoms can show up from one to eight weeks after exposure. Muscle aches, fever, fatigue, and chills are common signs. Other people might experience abdominal issues, including pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. In that way, the symptoms are similar to what some people experience with COVID-19.

The CDC reported that 38% of people who contract hantavirus and have respiratory symptoms could die from it. There is no official treatment for hantavirus, but the CDC does warn patients to seek medical attention immediately if they believe they have contracted it. This is especially important since the virus can attack the kidneys and lead to a disruption in kidney function.

Although hantavirus is not commonly spread person to person, when the MV Hondius reported the cases and deaths, the ship was unable to dock in the nearby country, Cape Verde, in Africa, according to NBC News.

World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe, Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, said in a statement that "The risk to the wider public remains low."

He also said, per NBC News, "We are acting with urgency to support the response to the hantavirus event on board a cruise vessel in the Atlantic, following the tragic loss of life."

And, he added, hantavirus is "not easily transmitted between people."