Hantavirus: Rare yet Deadly Virus Strikes Cruise Ship—What to Watch Out for

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

The World Health Organization recently confirmed that the virus on the ship is the Andes variant, 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.