WHO: Hantavirus cases rise from 5 to 6, all Andes variant

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[Financial News] The number of confirmed hantavirus infections that began on the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius has risen to six, the report said on the 8th local time. The death toll currently stands at three.
\r\nOn the 8th local time, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the number of confirmed hantavirus cases had increased from five to six.
\r\nHantavirus is spread by rodents such as rats. People can become infected by coming into contact with aerosols or environments contaminated by the urine, feces, or saliva of infected rodents.
According to the WHO, there have been eight suspected hantavirus cases reported on the Hondius, including three deaths, and six of them have been confirmed through laboratory analysis. All six confirmed cases were reported to be the Andes variant of hantavirus. The Andes variant is known as the only hantavirus strain that can spread from person to person.
The WHO assessed the global risk from this hantavirus outbreak as "low" and the risk to passengers and crew currently aboard the Hondius as "moderate."
\r\nMeanwhile, the outbreak began on the Hondius, which departed from Argentina last month. As the cruise ship sailed through the South Atlantic Ocean and near Antarctica, there were repeated reports of passengers and crew members complaining of fever and respiratory symptoms. International concern grew after hantavirus infections were later confirmed in some patients. There is still no treatment for hantavirus infection, so care mainly focuses on supportive treatment such as fluid replacement and oxygen therapy.
\r\nThe WHO is paying attention to the possibility that the infections on the Hondius may have been influenced by the long-term shared living conditions in an enclosed space. The ship is currently anchored at Praia port in Cape Verde, near Senegal in West Africa. Health authorities in various countries are tracing and monitoring passengers and crew members, while the WHO is strengthening its international health surveillance system.
\r\nExperts say the outbreak is unlikely to develop into a global pandemic like COVID-19. Unlike COVID-19, which spreads rapidly through droplets, hantavirus infection occurs through contact with rodents or in limited close-contact settings. The WHO also explained that "person-to-person transmission occurs only in limited cases during prolonged close contact."
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soup@fnnews.com Im Su-bin Reporter