Officials speak out on hantavirus 'risk to public' after 18 US passengers return from infected ship
Officials have spoken out on the ‘risk to the public’ that hantavirus could have after passengers were evacuated from the infected ship.
A total of 18 people have returned to the US after disembarking the cruise ship MV Hondius.
The ship was making its way across the Atlantic, having traveled from Argentina, when there was an outbreak of hantavirus onboard.
It was due to end its voyage in Cape Verde but was refused permission to dock, leaving the ship stranded in open waters while managing the health crisis.
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Since then, there have been three deaths and at least nine cases reported from the outbreak.
Officials have been working to evacuate passengers on ship and get them home, with 18 people returning to the US.
A press conference was held yesterday (May 11), where health officials shared an update with the public about the situation.
Admiral Brian Christine, MD, who is the Assistant Secretary for Health at the US Department of Health and Human Services, stated that the risk to the public is ‘very, very low’.
He went on to say that ‘transparency has been and is the order of the day’, saying: “Let me be crystal clear: the risk of hantavirus to the general public remains very, very low.
“The Andes variant of this virus does not spread easily, and it requires prolonged close contact with someone who is already symptomatic.”
Meanwhile, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen added: “No one who poses a risk to public health is walking out the front door onto the streets of Omaha.”
In a previous press conference, WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove explained: “This is not the next Covid but it is a serious infectious disease. If people get infected, and infections are uncommon, they can die.
“People on the ship who are hearing this are very scared, rightly so. The general public might be scared as well. Accurate information is critical. Knowing what your actual exposure might be - most people will never be exposed to this.”
The symptoms of hantavirus
Hantavirus can cause two life-threatening syndromes, according to the WHO: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
The early symptoms of HPS, which attacks the lungs, start one to eight weeks after infection, and include:
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Muscles aches
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Chills
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhoea
Later symptoms include:
- Coughing
- Shortness of breath
- Tightness in the chest
Early symptoms of HFRS, which affects the kidneys, start one to two weeks after infection, and include:
- Intense headaches
- Back pain
- Abdominal pain
- Fever/chills
- Nausea
- Blurred vision
Later symptoms include:
- Low blood pressure
- Internal bleeding
- Acute kidney failure