Why the hantavirus outbreak is different from COVID-19

"The last of the passengers on the hantavirus-struck MV Hondius cruise ship have been flown to the Netherlands. But new cases are emerging as researchers race to track down where the outbreak originated. As authorities seek to arrange quarantines and access to health facilities for the passengers, communities where some of the passengers have gone have responded with anger and protests against what many perceive as risk of exposure to the virus."

"I need you to hear me clearly: this is not another COVID. The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it again to you now, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said in a statement on Saturday."

"Here is a a breakdown of the key differences between the hantavirus and COVID-19: Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that cause two main illnesses in humans. One is known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and primarily attacks the lungs. The other, haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), mainly affects the kidneys."

"The viruses are named after the Hantan River in South Korea, where the first virus belonging to the family was isolated in 1978. By that time, researchers had tried for decades to identify the cause of what was known as the Korean haemorrhagic fever, which afflicted 3,000 United Nations soldiers during the Korean War from 1951 to 1953."

Passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship have been flown to the Netherlands as new hantavirus cases emerge and researchers work to identify the outbreak’s origin. Authorities seek quarantines and access to health facilities, while some destination communities respond with anger and protests over perceived exposure risk. Public health experts emphasize that hantavirus differs from COVID-19 in transmission, severity, and likelihood of causing a global crisis. Hantaviruses cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, primarily affecting lungs, and haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, mainly affecting kidneys. The viruses were named after the Hantan River in South Korea, where the first virus in the family was isolated in 1978, following decades of investigation into Korean hemorrhagic fever.

Read at www.aljazeera.com