Hantavirus: A Rare yet Deadly Virus Strikes Cruise Ship, and What to Watch out For

Infectious disease experts break down hantavirus risks, symptoms, and how rare person-to-person transmission actually is.
Hantavirus: A Rare yet Deadly Virus Strikes Cruise Ship, and What to Watch out For
Hantavirus particles. Kateryna Kon/Science photo library/Getty Images
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By now, everyone has heard of hantavirus, the rare, deadly virus spreading among passengers aboard the MV Hondius, a cruise ship now docked in the Atlantic Ocean, but few people know much about the virus itself.

The World Health Organization recently confirmed the variant as Andes, the only type of hantavirus capable of human-to-human transmission. However, as of May 7, the public health risk remains low.

George Citroner
George Citroner
Author
George Citroner reports on health and medicine, covering topics that include cancer, infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative conditions. He was awarded the Media Orthopaedic Reporting Excellence (MORE) award in 2020 for a story on osteoporosis risk in men.