90-Second Read: Hantavirus—How It’s Different From COVID-19 And The U.S. Response

The current strain responsible for the outbreak, known as the Andes strain, is rare and is the only type of Hantavirus known to spread person-to-person. The majority of Hantavirus cases occur through direct contact with infected rodents and do not spread person-to-person. Hantavirus, on the other hand, spreads only through prolonged, sustained contact and cannot spread as effectively and efficiently as COVID-19, making it much less transmissible. More than two dozen passengers already disembarked on the island of Saint Helena on April 24, and then traveled to a dozen different countries, including several passengers to the United States. Within the U.S., several state departments are helping monitor the patients to track symptoms and whether the passengers will need further medical care.

In addition, there is no evidence currently to suggest that the Andes variant of the Hantavirus can mutate or change rapidly to evade the immune system, which gives it much less potential to cause a pandemic. The Andes variant of Hantavirus has been around since 1995, allowing for some level of immunity among the broad global population. In addition, just last month, all full-time federal employees tasked with preventing and responding to public health outbreaks on cruise ships were laid off by the department of Health and Human Services, leaving just 12 employees to handle all ship inspections. Some of this monitoring is through self-monitoring from the passengers themselves. COVID-19, on the other hand, was able to mutate and change rapidly allowing it to infect human cells much more efficiently.

The World Health Organization has been coordinating a global response to help contain the virus and minimize risk. COVID-19 resulted in a pandemic, which caused worldwide spread of a new disease to a large number of people. Finally, COVID-19 was a novel virus in 2020 and humans did not have a high level of immunity to the virus, allowing for rapid infection and spread. Jay Bhattacharya: I want to assure the American public that CDC is diligently working to keep you safe and informed about #Hantavirus. The risk to the global population from this outbreak is low, according to the World Health Organization.

Despite the coordinated efforts from the CDC and the federal government, no major press briefing or press conference has occurred to educate and inform the general public about the Hantavirus and what to expect for the Americans that will eventually come to Nebraska. If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything, it is that trust and transparent communication is absolutely necessary for people to make the most informed decisions about their health and well-being. They will be tested and monitored for symptoms, and some may need to isolate and quarantine depending on if they have symptoms. Additionally, CDC held a call with all 50 state health officials to provide recommendations and ensure preparedness". The United States also withdrew officially from the World Health Organization earlier this year, resulting in less visibility.