90-Second Read: How Hantavirus actually spreads is a key question

Although Hantavirus is unlikely to spark a pandemic, it's still dangerous, so knowing how it spreads is key to containing it in the weeks to come, says Joseph Allen. He cited a December 2020 NEJM study that found that an outbreak in Argentina of the Andes strain of the Hantavirus, the type that spread on the cruise ship, could have spread through aerosolized particles. Allen acknowledged that this Hantavirus outbreak is not likely to spark a pandemic because it's less contagious than influenza, measles, and SARS-CoV-2.

The Hantavirus, which broke out on the cruise ship MV Hondius in April and has since killed three people and sickened roughly a dozen, is not likely to spur another pandemic, according to most experts quoted in the media. But it's still dangerous, it's fatal in roughly 40% of cases, so knowing how it spreads is key to containing it in the weeks to come, according to Harvard T.H. The answer informs the guidance for everything else, including how to stay safe, which protective measures to put in place, and who should be notified during contact tracing.

Allen also recounted speaking with a physician who was on the MV Hondius, who said that some who got sick on the ship did not necessarily have close contact with others. He appeared on CNN's Erin Burnett OutFront on May 11 and May 12 and on MS Now on May 11.