Hantavirus, a rare disease often caused by contact with droppings from infected rodents, is suspected in the deaths of three people who were aboard a cruise ship sailing the Atlantic Ocean.
Hantavirus is most commonly transmitted by breathing in particles of dried rodent droppings or urine.
In rare cases, it may spread among people, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hantaviruses found throughout the United States are not known to spread among people.
At first, hantavirus causes flulike symptoms, including fever, chills, body aches and headaches. But as the disease progresses, respiratory symptoms develop and patients can experience shortness of breath and then lung or heart failure.
Here is what to know about hantavirus.
What is hantavirus?
Hantavirus refers to a family of viruses carried by rodents.
It is often transmitted to humans by inhaling particles from dried mouse droppings. The only hantavirus documented to have spread person-to-person is the Andes virus, found in South America.
“Hantavirus isn’t really a virus that people usually associate with cruise ships,” said Kari Moore Debbink, a teaching professor and virology expert at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Other viruses, like the norovirus, Dr. Moore Debbink added, are far more commonly spread on cruise ships.
In North America, Sin Nombre virus is the most common form of this virus, according to Sabra L. Klein, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
As of the end of 2022, 864 cases of hantavirus disease had been reported in the United States since surveys of such cases began in 1993, according to the C.D.C.
The “classic” case of hantavirus is contracted by someone who has visited a rural cabin that has a rodent infestation, said Emily Abdoler, a doctor and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.
Hantavirus brings flulike symptoms at first.
Hantavirus can cause flulike symptoms that appear one to eight weeks after exposure to droppings from an infected rodent.
Later, patients often experience shortness of breath and then lung or heart failure.
How do I prevent contracting hantavirus?
Although there are antivirals that can help manage symptoms, there are no cures specifically for hantavirus, Professor Klein of Johns Hopkins said. That’s why prevention is important.
If you live in an area where hantavirus-infected rodents are known to roam, clean any droppings with a wet paper towel. Do not use a vacuum or a broom, which can stir up the aerosols from the excrement.
Use gloves and a tightfitting N95 mask in a well-ventilated space. People should spray the area with a bleach solution or a commercial disinfectant and let it sit for five minutes.
Then they should clean the area with paper towels, tossing them in a trash can that closes tightly, said Dr. Erin Phipps, a veterinarian at the New Mexico Department of Health.
Treatment of hantavirus in the intensive care unit may include intubation and oxygen therapy, fluid replacement and medications to support blood pressure. Sometimes antiviral drugs are used.
Livia Albeck-Ripka is a Times reporter based in Los Angeles, covering breaking news, California and other subjects.
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