"Hantavirus is an illness carried by rodents that can spread to humans and cause acute respiratory distress. The illness "initially causes flu-like symptoms that can progress to more severe illness where people have trouble breathing," according to the CDC. It is fatal in nearly 4 in 10 people who become infected."
""Hantavirus is most commonly spread through contact with rodent urine, droppings, [and] saliva in the case of a bite," says Dr. Carla McWilliams, chief of infectious disease, quality and safety for Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital. "Though human-to-human transmission has been reported, it is considered to be quite rare.""
""With the timing of the incubation period of hantavirus, which can be anywhere from one to six weeks, our assumption is that they were infected off the ship, perhaps doing some activities there," Kerkhove of WHO said."
A cruise ship docking in the Canary Islands will undergo full epidemiological investigation by Spanish authorities, with repatriation of fit passengers to follow. Hantavirus, carried by rodents, spreads primarily through contact with rodent urine, droppings, and saliva, causing flu-like symptoms that can progress to severe respiratory distress with a 40% fatality rate. Human-to-human transmission is rare but possible. No specific treatments exist; hospitals provide supportive care including breathing assistance. Initial infections likely occurred in Argentina before passengers boarded on April 1, given the one-to-six-week incubation period. Passenger contact with local wildlife remains undetermined, though person-to-person transmission cannot be fully ruled out.
#hantavirus-outbreak #cruise-ship-disease #rodent-borne-illness #epidemiological-investigation #public-health-response
Read at CN Traveller
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]