Lehigh Valley doctors have seen hantavirus in patients before. Cruise ship cases are no pandemic, they say

There is no reason to fear a hantavirus pandemic, said two health experts in the Lehigh Valley.

The virus is in the news because of an outbreak that started earlier this spring on a cruise ship. Experts with the World Health Organization said they suspect the outbreak began with a Dutch couple, who may have come in contact with a species of South American rat that is known to carry the virus. They suspect that the couple may have transmitted the virus through close contact, such as people who shared their cabin.

So far, 11 individuals on the ship were confirmed infected and three have died, including the Dutch couple. Remaining passengers have been returned to their home countries, including 18 who are from the U.S. One of those U.S. passengers tested positive for the virus, although those results have not been confirmed. Health officials in New Jersey are monitoring two people for possible exposure.

Dr. Jeffrey Jahre, chief emeritus of infectious disease for St. Luke's University Health Network, said hantavirus does exist in the U.S., but it is relatively uncommon - since tracking the virus began in 1993, St. Luke's has only treated nine patients with the disease.

Dr. Alex Benjamin, chief infection control and prevention officer for Lehigh Valley Health Network, said that he isn't aware of the network treating any patients with the condition.

Hantaviruses are a group of diseases that primarily affect rodents but can be transmitted to humans. When humans are infected, it is usually because of contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva. Some strains can spread person to person. The strain that caused the cruise ship outbreak, the Andes virus, is believed to have the opportunity to spread person to person if they are within six feet of each other for 15 minutes or more.

“COVID and influenza are much more easily spread,” Jahre said. “They are spread during an asymptomatic period where there are no symptoms, like a day or two before. This is not true of the hantavirus. The hantavirus can only be spread when symptoms are present and requires long, usually fairly intense contact.”

The Andes strain, along with other "New World" hantaviruses, which typically affect the lungs, are considered more deadly than "Old World" strains. A possible outcome of an infection with a "New World" strain is the potentially deadly hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

Early symptoms of the condition include fatigue, fever, and muscle aches, especially in the thighs, hips, back and sometimes shoulders. Other early symptoms can include headaches, dizziness, chills, and abdominal problems like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Late symptoms can include coughing, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest and lungs filled with fluid. About 38% of those who develop respiratory symptoms die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There is no specific treatment or cure for hantavirus, nor is there a vaccine, though one is under development.

Jahre said the good news is that, beyond being relatively uncommon, the strain of hantavirus endemic to the U.S. cannot be spread person to person, only via rodents or their byproducts.

Jahre said that the most common way people get hantavirus in the U.S. is when cleaning out cabins or summer homes that have been left empty for an extended period of time. He said that when cleaning up rat or mouse droppings or other biological waste, it is possible to aerosolize them by accident. To avoid breathing anything in, it is important to wear a suitable mask, such as an N95, and gloves.

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