"“It's a hypothesis that the virus builds up a higher titer in the saliva,” said Pegan of the blood test that measures the concentration of specific antibodies. He compared it to aspects of the early COVID-19 strain-which also was christened with a famous cruise ship of its own, the Diamond Princess. Cruise ships, as society learned six years ago, are a perfect breeding ground for viruses. “And that's, of course, going to be a respiratory venue, and so that's going to be likely to infect more people.”"
"“But that doesn't mean the Andes virus behaves anything like COVID. The transmission Pegan described is what virologists call nosocomial, meaning hospital-acquired or close-contact spread.”"
"“If a patient shows up at a hospital and they don't really know what they have, and then no one does any protection, and then all of a sudden, the healthcare workers come down with it, because they've”"
Three passengers died aboard the MV Hondius after exposure to the rare Andes strain of hantavirus, triggering international efforts to identify other passengers and crew. The outbreak has renewed public concern because hantavirus is commonly linked to rural rodent exposure. Two scientists emphasize taking the situation seriously while avoiding panic. The Andes strain appears capable of spreading between people, and the ship’s enclosed, high-contact environment may have increased exposure. One explanation involves higher viral concentration in saliva, enabling respiratory spread in close quarters. The described transmission is characterized as close-contact or healthcare-associated, not the kind of widespread community spread seen with some other respiratory viruses.
#hantavirus #andes-strain #public-health-response #cruise-ship-outbreak #infectious-disease-transmission
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