What is hantavirus, the infection thought to have killed three on cruise ship?

Three passengers on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean have died after a suspected hantavirus outbreak, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The outbreak was reported on the polar cruise ship MV Hondius, which was travelling between Argentina and Cape Verde. The WHO said at least one case of hantavirus had been confirmed, with one patient in intensive care in a South African hospital. Two of those who died were a couple from the Netherlands. Related: Three passengers dead after suspected hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship What is hantavirus, the rare virus suspected to have caused the cruise ship outbreak? What is hantavirus? Orthohantaviruses, more commonly known as hantaviruses, are a group of viruses primarily found in rodents, but which can infect humans. According to Prof Adam Taylor of Lancaster University, there are at least 38 recognised species of hantavirus globally, 24 of which cause disease in humans. Rodents such as mice, rats and voles are the natural reservoirs for the viruses. Dr Yomani Sarathkumara, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Queensland, said hantavirus infections were “really rare in humans”, and were often misdiagnosed in tropical countries as other infections, such as leptospirosis, which is also spread by animals. How is the virus spread and what are the symptoms of hantavirus? Hantaviruses are spread to humans via inhalation of or contact with infected rodent faeces, urine and saliva – or, more rarely, through bites and scratches from contaminated animals. “Agricultural communities across the world are at higher risk,” Sarathkumara said – as a result of higher likelihood of exposure to infected rodents. Associate Prof Vinod Balasubramaniam, a molecular virologist at Monash University Malaysia, said hantaviruses were “typically an environmental exposure linked to rodents”, and “do not usually spread easily from person to person in the way that you see flu or Covid-19 does”. There are two major …