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Scientists comment on the continuing hantavirus situation aboard a cruise ship.
Dr Charlotte Hammer, Assistant Professor and infectious disease epidemiologist, University of Cambridge, said:
“Given the geography, the Andes strain of New World Hantaviruses was already the most likely causative agent in this case. This also explains the possibility of limited human-to-human transmission among very close contacts which has in the past been reported with this strain specifically. Given the incubation period of one to eight weeks, an initial infection before boarding the ship of some or all affected individuals seems likely. To what degree human-to-human transmission then happened remains to be determined. Further investigations into the initial exposure and the links between the cases would be helpful to clarify the transmission.”
Prof Sir Andrew Pollard FRCPCH FMedSci FRS, Ashall Professor of Infection and Immunity, Pandemic Sciences Institute, and Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford, said:
“Identification of the virus as Andes virus strain of hantavirus by the South African infectious disease laboratory is helpful as the public health authorities now know exactly what they are dealing with. This means that the risks of transmission to contacts, including healthcare workers, from cases is known and can be managed by standard protocols. It also means that the “incubation period” is known – the time from exposure to developing symptoms – so that those who have been potentially exposed can be monitored and treated early and isolated if they become unwell. With these public health measures rigorously in place, the risk of onward transmission to the wider community should be essentially zero.”
Prof Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine, UEA, said:
“The finding of the Andes variant strengthens the hypothesis that the initial cases were acquired in Argentina. This is endemic in Argentina and its host is the Long-tail pygmy rice rat, which as far as I know does not occupy ships, though I am not an expert on rats in ships. The question remains how this infection then spread to the later cases.”
Dr Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health, University of Southampton, said:
“There are emerging reports that this is the Andes strain of hantavirus, with laboratory tests ongoing. There have been documented cases of human-to-human transmission from the Andes strain. For example in one outbreak in Argentina, there was a single environmental exposure to rodents and three symptomatic patients then infected others at crowded social events, resulting in 34 cases and 11 deaths.
“Whilst definitely plausible, we still do not know for sure if there is human-to-human transmission in this hantavirus outbreak. The period of time between initial infection and developing symptoms, the incubation period, can be several weeks.
“Thus, the case in Switzerland could be related to an exposure from their travels in South America in late April.”
Ref, Andes strain of hantavirus and transmission – https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2009040
Comments sent out about this hantavirus situation on Tuesday 5 May and Monday 4 May:
Declared interests
Dr Charlotte Hammer: “I have no interests to declare.”
Prof Sir Andrew Pollard: “Nothing I can think of for hanta.”
Prof Paul Hunter: “No COIs.”
Dr Michael Head: “No COI.”