The Caribbean Public Health Agency says the risk of hantavirus infection in the Caribbean remains low, despite recent cases linked to a cruise ship in the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CARPHA says the WHO was notified on May 2nd of a cluster of respiratory illnesses affecting passengers and crew aboard the MV Hondius.
With the Caribbean accounting for nearly 44% of global cruise traffic, CARPHA is urging member states to remain vigilant and strengthen surveillance systems at ports of entry.
Meanwhile, the WHO says the Hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship is not the start of a pandemic.
Five cases have now been confirmed in relation to the ship and more may follow due to the virus’s six week incubation period.
The WHO says this is not similar to Covid-19, since hantaviruses spread “very, very differently” and through prolonged contact.
The outbreak is being investigated with the WHO saying the couple who were the first to get infected visited places “where the species of rat known to carry the virus was present”.
ABOUT HANTAVIRUS
According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Hantaviruses are a family of viruses which can cause serious illnesses and death.
These viruses cause diseases like hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
They are spread mainly by rodents.
The Andes virus is the only type of hantavirus that is known to spread person-to-person. This spread is usually limited to people who have close contact with the ill person.
The CDC says diagnosing hantavirus in a person who has been infected less than 72 hours is difficult.
If the initial test is done before the virus can be found, repeat testing is often done 72 hours after symptom start.
Early symptoms such as fever, headache muscle aches, nausea, and fatigue are easily confused with influenza.
