90-Second Read: Hantavirus is not a repeat of the COVID-19 pandemic, University experts say

Hantaviruses, a group of viruses carried by rodents, are contracted through exposure to rodent urine, fecal matter, saliva and in rarer cases, bites or scratches. The Andes strain, the variant diagnosed among the Hondius passengers, is the only Hantavirus with the ability to spread through human-to-human contact, causing Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome. He encouraged University students to heed Hantavirus with caution, yet with confidence, and emphasized that health professionals have the resources necessary to keep it contained.

For insight as to how the University plans to navigate the outbreak, The Cavalier Daily communicated with Meredith Hayden, Student Health and Wellness chief medical officer, and Costi Sifri, U.Va. The CDC activated a Level 3 Emergency Response for the outbreak May 8, the lowest level of response which indicates surveillance efforts and coordination among infectious disease experts while maintaining a low risk to the general public. The Andes virus (ANDV) strain is the only Hantavirus with human-to-human transmission, and this transmission is inefficient requiring close intimate contact.

Sifri said he is hopeful that the current Hantavirus prevalence will urge government officials to reassess these policy changes. With this suggestion to stay accurately informed, he emphasized that while Hantavirus is something for the University community to be aware of, it should not inspire fear. With its approximate fatality rate of 30 to 40 percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the disease's surge in the media has caused anxieties to fester among many who fear another pandemic on the horizon.