Is Hantavirus Like COVID-19? WHO Experts Explain Differences Amid Cruise Ship Outbreak

An outbreak aboard a cruise ship of a rare rodent-borne illness called hantavirus has left three passengers dead and sickened others. While the incident has triggered global panic and left citizens worried about another pandemic-like situation, health officials say the risk to the general public remains low because the germ does not easily spread between people. “This is not the next COVID, but it is a serious infectious disease,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness at the World Health Organisation. “Most people will never be exposed to this," she added.

What is hantavirus? 

Studies indicate hantaviruses have been around for centuries, with outbreaks documented in Asia and Europe. It wasn’t until the early 1990s that a previously unknown group of hantaviruses emerged in the southwestern United States as the cause of an acute respiratory disease now known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The disease gained attention last year after the late actor Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from a hantavirus infection in New Mexico.

Hantavirus is mainly spread by contact with rodents or their urine, saliva or droppings, particularly when the material is disturbed and becomes airborne, posing a risk of inhalation. People are typically exposed to hantavirus around their homes, cabins or sheds, especially when cleaning out enclosed spaces with little ventilation or exploring areas where there are mouse droppings. The WHO says that while it rarely happens, hantaviruses can also spread directly between people.

What are the symptoms of hantavirus? 

An infection can rapidly progress and become life-threatening. Experts say it can start with symptoms that include a fever, chills, muscle aches and maybe a headache, much like the flu would feel. Symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome usually show between one and eight weeks after contact with an infected rodent. As the infection progresses, patients might experience tightness in the chest as the lungs fill with fluid. The other syndrome caused by hantavirus — known as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, which can cause bleeding, high fever, and kidney failure — usually develops within a week or two after exposure.

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How is it different from COVID-19? 

The memory of the coronavirus pandemic and the global havoc caused by it is still fresh in people's minds. The news of the cruise ship outbreak of hantavirus gave the world ugly flashbacks of an unpleasant time no one wants a repeat of. However, medical experts have cautioned against spreading panic and have asserted that the new virus is a lot different from the global pandemic-causing COVID.

COVID-19 spreads through the air, making humans easily susceptible to the condition. However, hantavirus spreads through infected rodents. Experts suggest that while both can cause severe damage, the fatality rate of hantavirus is higher, though coronavirus is easier to spread. COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which affects the respiratory system and spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes. In summation, hantavirus is deadlier because of its severity, but rare since it does not spread from human to human. Coronavirus, on the other hand, has a wider impact but relatively lower risk as it spreads easily.

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