After a hantavirus cluster on a Netherlands-based cruise ship killed three passengers, many are wondering if a broader outbreak could be a threat in the U.S.
While Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials are monitoring the situation and status of infected passengers, the risk to the American public is “extremely low,” they said in a press statement May 6.
Still, many in Philadelphia want to know if they should be on alert. Here’s what you should know.
What is hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are viruses that can cause a number of illnesses, and they are usually spread through contact with rodents, the CDC has explained.
The viruses are known to spread from two main illnesses, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which is spread by the virus found in the Western Hemisphere, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), caused by viruses found primarily in Asia and Europe.
Of the many types of hantaviruses, however, the Andes virus is the only type that spreads human-to-human, according to the CDC.
How does hantavirus spread? How do humans get hantavirus?
Humans get hantavirus mainly through contact with infected rodents, specifically their saliva, urine or droppings.
Spreads through bites and scratches are rarer, the CDC said.
The strain of hantavirus that can be passed between humans is known as Andes virus, which was confirmed by the World Health Organization to be the strain involved in the current cruise ship cluster.
What is Andes virus? Is Andes virus the same as hantavirus?
Per the WHO, the Andes virus is a form of hantavirus that’s been known to cause limited human-to-human transmissions among people with prolonged and close contacts
The virus is in the same hantavirus family that causes hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), which affects the lungs and heart and is described by the WHO as “rapidly progressing.”
This family of hantavirus is present in North, Central and South America, though the Andes virus was primarily contributed to Argentina and Chile, according to the WHO.
Is hantavirus in Philly? Has hantavirus ever been in Philly?
Of the cruise ship passengers, at least eight have been linked to the outbreak and three have died.
The Georgia Department of Health confirmed to USA TODAY that it’s monitoring two residents, and The New York Times reported that public health officials in Arizona and California are also monitoring residents from the cruise ship.
A representative of Philadelphia’s Public Health Department wasn’t immediately available to shed light on the virus’s history in the region, or to give any current updates or advisories.
The CDC, however, has tracked nine cases of hantavirus in Pennsylvania confirmed between 1993 and 2023, of which five individuals lived and four died.
Kaitlyn McCormick is a Philadelphia-based reporter writing all things trending, breaking and city-related for USA TODAY’s Philadelphia Metro Connect Team.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How does hantavirus spread? How do humans get hantavirus?