Hantavirus outbreak contained but risks remain, public health expert says

The Story

A global public health expert states that the risk to the general public from the current hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship is low, but warns of dangerous days ahead due to the long incubation period and potential spread by passengers who disembarked before the outbreak was detected. The outbreak involves about 150 people of 23 nationalities, and the Andes strain of hantavirus – which can transmit human-to-human – has been identified. No secondary infections outside the original cruise-ship group have been reported yet, but the expert notes it is early days.

Key Facts

• The risk to the general public is currently low, according to the author, who is a public health expert.
• The outbreak is on a cruise ship with about 150 people of 23 nationalities.
• The Andes strain of hantavirus has been identified, which can transmit from human to human and has previously caused super-spreading events.
• Several passengers disembarked before the outbreak was detected and took commercial flights home.
• The incubation period for hantavirus is one to eight weeks.
• There is no approved vaccine, specific therapeutic, or rapid diagnostic test for this strain.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken the lead on the response.
• The UK Health Security Agency, headed by Prof Susan Hopkins, has used self-contained flats at Arrowe Park hospital to house passengers and support their isolation.
• No secondary contacts from flights have been identified so far.
• The US recently quit the WHO and fired all CDC cruise inspectors, which the author says has made the response more difficult.

Conflicting Reports

No conflicting reports identified in the source article.

Still Unclear

• How many other people were infected on the cruise ship (results expected in days).
• Whether secondary contacts from flights or elsewhere were infected from passengers who disembarked before the outbreak was identified (results expected in weeks).
• Whether the outbreak will be contained to the cruise-ship group or lead to wider spread.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Prof Devi Sridhar – chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, author of the opinion piece.
• Prof Susan Hopkins – head of the UK Health Security Agency.

Sources: The Guardian