After a luxury cruise ship has been hit by an outbreak of the hantavirus, many are wondering whether this might be the following pandemic.
A complete of eight cases have thus far been reported; five of which have been confirmed while the opposite three remain suspected.
Not less than six individuals 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 looking for seven British nationals who disembarked the hantavirus-hit cruise ship.
Some 30 people left the ship at St Helena after the primary victim died on MV Hondius, including a lady who also died a number of days later in Johannesburg after contracting the virus.
Join for all of the most recent stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
During a briefing earlier today, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said cases of hantavirus are expected to rise, so could it’s the ‘next pandemic’?
What is hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are a family of rodent-bourne viruses, with each strain tied to a particular host species.
It’s spread when people come into contact with infected droppings, saliva, urine or nesting materials, but is extremely rare, and infrequently passed from individual to individual.
If caught, hantavirus can result in two principal illnesses, one among which affects the lungs (Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome or HPS) and the opposite which affects the kidneys (Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome or HFRS).
The incubation period for this illness is mostly two to 4 weeks, in response to the federal government, but can range from as little as two days to so long as eight weeks.
The Andes strain of hantavirus has been spreading across MV Hondius, and it’s been answerable for human-to-human transmission previously in parts of South America.
What are the symptoms of hantavirus?
Early symptoms of hantavirus are just like the flu, and include headaches, dizziness, chills in addition to abdominal problems like diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea.
If it progresses into Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, patients can experience headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
In the event you develop Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome, initial symptoms will include intense headaches, back and abdominal pain, fever or chills, nausea, and blurred vision.
If the disease progresses, later symptoms include low blood pressure, acute shock (lack of blood flow), internal bleeding, and acute kidney failure, in response to the CDC.
Hantavirus could be fatal, so it’s vital to regulate symptoms in case you consider you’ve been exposed. There’s currently no cure for the disease.
Should we be nervous?
While the present outbreak and the rise in cases could also be frightening, health officials don’t 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 individuals with symptoms who could have had contact with passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship.
More cases could also be reported, he said, but WHO stresses that it has assessed the general public health risk ‘as low’.
Meanwhile, infectious disease epidemiologist Maria van Kerkhove stressed through the WHO briefing that the hantavirus outbreak is ‘not the beginning of a Covid pandemic’ because the virus doesn’t spread in the identical way as coronavirus.
Confirming that while the variety of cases are on the rise, she added ‘This just isn’t Covid, this just isn’t influenza, it spreads very in a different way.’
Dr Abdirahman Mahamud, director on the alert and response co-ordination department of the World Health Organisation’s Emergencies Health Programme, highlighted an identical outbreak in Argentina between 2018 and 2019, which led to a complete of 34 cases.
Dr Mahamud added: ‘We don’t anticipate a big epidemic. With experience our member states have, and the actions they’ve taken, we consider that this can not result in subsequent chain of transmission.’
Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Share your views within the comments below
MORE: Ex police officer airlifted from hantavirus cruise says he’s ‘doing OK’ in hospital isolation
MORE: First glimpse inside eerie hantavirus cruise after sick passengers medically evacuated
MORE: Warning as venomous insect imported from China invades multiple US states