90-Second Read: Hantavirus is very different to COVID. Here’s why the ‘Andes virus’ won’t cause the next pandemic

So it's understandable people are concerned that passengers from the MV Hondius need to be quarantined after potential exposure to Andes virus, a rodent-borne Hantavirus. Here's what you need to know about Andes virus, the risk of transmission, and how it's different to the virus that caused COVID. European and Asian Hantaviruses typically cause death in less than 1, 15% of cases, while Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome from American strains, including Andes virus, can reach up to 50%. For many people, news of a virus outbreak on a cruise ship immediately brings back memories of COVID spreading when the Ruby Princess docked in Sydney in March 2020. As of May 11, European health authorities have reported nine cases linked to the cruise ship, including seven confirmed and two probable cases.

That is very different from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. This difference in transmission potential is why SARS-CoV-2 caused a pandemic and Andes virus has only produced contained outbreaks. For context, in 2025, eight countries across the Americas reported 229 Hantavirus cases and 59 deaths. A virus doesn't become a pandemic simply because it's deadly. Hantaviruses are a group of viruses usually carried by mice, rats and other rodents.

Most Hantaviruses are not known to spread between people. Andes virus can cause onward human-to-human transmission, but requires a perfect storm of conditions: symptomatic people in crowded, poorly ventilated spaces with close contact over time. In some people, infection can progress to Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a life-threatening condition in which breathing becomes difficult. The breathing problems associated with the complication Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome aren't caused by the virus directly destroying lung tissue, but by the immune system's delayed response. Early symptoms of Andes virus infection can look like many other illnesses, including fever, headache, muscle aches, nausea and fatigue.

After the initial spillover from infected rodents, it is the only Hantavirus with well-documented person-to-person transmission. It's important to get the Andes virus under control but it's not a pandemic threat like COVID. The WHO recommends people exposed to Andes virus monitor for symptoms for 42 days after their last potential exposure. COVID symptoms typically appear within days because the virus replicates rapidly in the respiratory system. Fatality rates vary significantly between Hantavirus species.