A worldwide hunt is underway for passengers who escaped the disease-stricken MV Hondius after it was plagued by a rat-borne virus. Questions have been raised over the symptoms of the deadly hantavirus variant, how contagious it is, and whether it can be caught at a cruise ship buffet.
How Do You Get Hantavirus?
Hantavirus is found in rodents and can be passed to humans in areas where they may have nested, like barns and rural holiday homes. Rodents carrying the virus shed it in urine, faeces, and saliva, which can become airborne and inhaled. Contaminated food, bites, or scratches can also transmit the virus. The strain implicated in the cruise ship outbreak likely came from the long-tailed pygmy rice rat.
What Are the Symptoms?
Symptoms typically occur two to four weeks after exposure. Professor Jonathan Ball of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine explains that while there are about 100,000 to 200,000 cases globally, many go unreported because they are mild. Symptoms include fever, aches, nausea, and vomiting, making early identification difficult. If the condition progresses, it can lead to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) or haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
How Contagious Is It?
Professor Ball states that hantavirus does not spread effectively between humans. Human-to-human transmission is rare and usually requires sustained exposure, such as sharing a cabin for long periods. Passing an infected person briefly poses a very low risk.
Could You Catch It at a Cruise Ship Buffet?
Given that transmission typically requires prolonged close contact, catching hantavirus in a buffet queue is unlikely. Sharing a cabin for an extended period increases risk, but brief encounters are low risk.
How Fatal Is It?
Fatality rates vary by strain. In Europe and Asia, it leads to death in up to 15% of cases, while in the Americas, it can be up to 50%. The cruise ship strain, likely contracted in Argentina, is probably the more dangerous kind.
Should I Avoid Certain Countries?
Professor Ball says there is no need to avoid specific regions. Travellers should be vigilant for rodent nests and avoid leaving food remnants that attract rodents.
Should I Cancel My Summer Cruise?
Rob Staines, an independent travel expert, advises against cancelling holidays due to hantavirus. The risk is very low compared to other travel disruptions.
What Treatment Is Available?
Patients receive supportive care, such as help with breathing. There are no licensed drugs for hantavirus, but compassionate-use antivirals like ribavirin and favipiravir may be used, though evidence is insufficient for licensing.
Will Travel Insurance Cover Hantavirus?
Staines notes that most policies do not cover specific virus outbreaks, especially post-Covid. Some may cover trip cancellation if you are personally ill, but documentation is required. Travelers should speak to their insurer.
Are Some People More at Risk?
Yes, advanced age and underlying health conditions like circulation or breathing problems increase the risk of developing severe hantavirus.
Can You Tell If Rats Have the Virus?
No, hantaviruses do not make rats ill. Rodents become persistently infected and shed the virus throughout life without symptoms.
Could I Get It from a Rat at Home?
In the UK, the risk is low and mostly linked to pet rats or rats bred for reptile feeding, not typical household infestations. Professional pest control minimises risk, but disturbing dried rodent material without protection can make the virus airborne.
What Other Species Carry It?
Hantaviruses are found in mice, rats, and voles. UK field voles have been found with hantaviruses, but no evidence suggests they cause human infection.
Why Are We Hearing About It Now?
HFRS was first identified in US soldiers in Korea in the 1950s, and HPS has been tracked in the US since 1993. Consultant virologist Chris Smith says this outbreak is a perfect storm of chance circumstances.
Will Hantavirus Become More Common?
Emerging infections like hantavirus are increasing due to higher population density, greater mobility, and more frequent human-wildlife conflict, facilitating spillover events.
Will Hantavirus Be the Next Covid?
Professor Ball reassures that unless the virus mutates—which is highly unlikely—it will not become the next pandemic.
