Could deadly hantavirus become the next global pandemic?

After a luxury cruise ship has been hit by an outbreak of the hantavirus, many are wondering whether this could be the next pandemic.

A total of eight cases have so far been reported; five of which have been confirmed while the other three remain suspected.

At least six people are in hospital, including three Brits, after possible contact with the virus. Three people have died, including a Dutch couple and a German citizen.

Authorities are also searching for seven British nationals who disembarked the hantavirus-hit cruise ship.

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Authorities are urgently tracing passengers and crew from a flight between Saint Helena and Johannesburg after a woman on board later died of hantavirus. There were 82 passengers and six crew members on the April 25 flight, and concerns raised by the World Health Organisation about possible human-to-human transmission have increased the urgency of locating them. They said the overall threat still remains low, but concerns about potential transmission are growing. #virus #hantavirus #worldhealthorganization

♬ Scary Tense – Steve Ralph

Some 30 people left the ship at St Helena after the first victim died on MV Hondius, including a woman who also died a few days later in Johannesburg after contracting the virus.

During a briefing earlier today, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said cases of hantavirus are expected to rise, so could it be the ‘next pandemic’?

What is hantavirus?

Hantaviruses are a family of rodent-bourne viruses, with each strain tied to a specific host species.

It’s spread when people come into contact with infected droppings, saliva, urine or nesting materials, but is extremely rare, and rarely passed from person to person.

If caught, hantavirus can lead to two main illnesses, one of which affects the lungs (Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome or HPS) and the other which affects the kidneys (Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome or HFRS).

The incubation period for this illness is generally two to four weeks, according to the government, but can range from as little as two days to as long as eight weeks.

The Andes strain of hantavirus has been spreading across MV Hondius, and it’s been responsible for human-to-human transmission in the past in parts of South America.

Should we be worried?

While the current outbreak and the rise in cases may be frightening, health officials do not expect the outbreak to be an epidemic.

During a briefing today, WHO Chief Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus said that the organisation is aware of reports of other people with symptoms who may have had contact with passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship.

More cases may be reported, he said, but WHO stresses that it has assessed the public health risk ‘as low’.

Meanwhile, infectious disease epidemiologist Maria van Kerkhove stressed during the WHO briefing that the hantavirus outbreak is ‘not the start of a Covid pandemic’ as the virus doesn’t spread in the same way as coronavirus.

Confirming that while the number of cases are on the rise, she added ‘This is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very differently.’

Dr Abdirahman Mahamud, director at the alert and response co-ordination department of the World Health Organisation’s Emergencies Health Programme, highlighted a similar outbreak in Argentina between 2018 and 2019, which led to a total of 34 cases.

Dr Mahamud added: ‘We don’t anticipate a large epidemic. With experience our member states have, and the actions they have taken, we believe that this will not lead to subsequent chain of transmission.’

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