90-Second Read: Infectious Disease Doctors Explain Why the Hantavirus Outbreak Is Different From COVID-19

To date, 11 people have either had a confirmed or suspected case of Hantavirus linked to the cruise ship outbreak, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Ph.D., director-general for the World Health Organization (WHO) shared in a press conference on Tuesday. The form of Hantavirus behind the outbreak is the Andes virus, which is slightly different from other forms of Hantavirus. However, the CDC lists these as the most current signs of a COVID-19 infection: The Andes Hantavirus can cause different symptoms, depending on the stage of the virus someone is in, per the CDC.

Infectious disease doctors share key differences as the news unfolds. Information about the Hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship continues to grip the world. Three people have died as part of the outbreak, and there are also reports of cruise ship passengers who are seriously ill.

Andes Hantavirus is the only form of Hantavirus know to spread between humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But data on the contagiousness of the Andes Hantavirus is a little less robust, according to Thomas Russo, M.D., a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York. The story is eerily similar to how COVID-19 originally spread, raising some obvious comparisons between the two viruses.