SAN ANTONIO – A hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship has put a rare but deadly virus back in the headlines. While health experts say the risk to most Americans remains extremely low, the cluster of cases is raising fresh questions about a disease that — when it does strike — kills roughly one in three people it infects.
“This is not the next COVID, but it is a serious infectious disease,” Maria Van Kerkhove, director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness at the World Health Organization, told the Associated Press. “Most people will never be exposed to this.”
No cases have been reported to the Metropolitan Health District in San Antonio, according to a spokesperson.
What is hantavirus?
Hantavirus is not a single virus — it’s a family. There are at least 40 known hantaviruses, and at least 22 of those are known to cause infections in humans, according to health professionals.
The World Health Organization classifies it as a serious infectious disease due to its potential severity. In the United States, the mortality rate for hantavirus infection hovers around 35%, meaning roughly one in three people who contract it will develop a potentially life-threatening condition known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
“So they get into basically respiratory failure as the infection progresses,” noted expert insights.
Can people get tested in San Antonio?
Testing for hantavirus is not widely available locally because the disease is so uncommon. “Testing, since it’s such a rare disease, is a little bit difficult to come by,” experts explained. The testing primarily checks for antibodies to determine if the body has been exposed to the virus before.
Because the disease is rare, testing without a clear high-risk exposure history runs the risk of yielding false positive results. Labs in the San Antonio area do not carry the test locally; it must be sent out for analysis. Physicians usually assess a patient’s risk of exposure before ordering any tests.
How do people get it?
The most common route of transmission is through exposure to infected rodent droppings, urine, or saliva, making it primarily a mouse-borne illness. “It’s very rare that it is transferred from person to person,” noted public health experts.
The person-to-person strain is found in Argentina and Chile, but not in the United States. Domestic cases typically occur when someone cleans out an enclosed space — such as a cabin or barn — where mice have been active, inadvertently aerosolizing particles from droppings or urine.
What about the cruise ship outbreak?
According to the Associated Press, detailed investigations into the cruise ship outbreak are ongoing, particularly to determine its source. Investigators in Argentina suspect that the cases were initially contracted during a birdwatching trip in Ushuaia, located at the southern tip of the country.
Argentina has recently experienced a surge in hantavirus cases, which many local public health researchers attribute to climate change. Officials have found evidence of the Andes virus, a strain of hantavirus prevalent in South America.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of hantavirus are not immediately distinct, which complicates early diagnosis. After exposure to infected rodent material, symptoms typically appear one to eight weeks later. Initial signs closely resemble the flu and can include fever, fatigue, muscle aches, nausea, and diarrhea.
“Four to 10 days after those general, nonspecific symptoms, individuals can start experiencing significant shortness of breath, cough, and possibly chest tightness,” health experts caution. Anyone experiencing these respiratory symptoms should seek medical evaluation promptly.
How rare is it in Texas?
For residents in San Antonio and throughout Texas, the risk of hantavirus infection is extremely low. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the last reported hantavirus case in Texas occurred in 2021. When cases do occur in Texas, they are generally concentrated in the Panhandle region, while Arizona and New Mexico report the highest number of cases nationwide.
How can people protect themselves?
Since the strains circulating in the U.S. have not been known to spread from person to person, prevention efforts focus on avoiding exposure to rodents. “The main way is to avoid contact with mouse droppings, urine, and saliva,” suggested health experts. Keeping mice out of living spaces is crucial.
For anyone cleaning a space with known mouse activity, experts recommend spraying the area with a disinfectant first to minimize the risk of aerosolizing particles. Wearing a mask, a precaution familiar to many during the COVID-19 pandemic, is also advised.
