90-Second Read: Is there a treatment or vaccine for Hantavirus? What to know about the illness

A Hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship has brought the rare rodent-borne illness to the forefront. TIFFIN, Iowa ( KCRG /Gray News), A Hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship has brought the rare rodent-borne illness to the forefront. Currently, there is no specific treatment or vaccine for Hantavirus. But despite the outbreak, global health officials note the risk to the general public remains low because the virus's germs do not easily spread between people. According to the World Health Organization, investigations of the cruise ship outbreak remain ongoing, including determining the source of exposure.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified the outbreak as level 3, meaning the risk to the public remains low, but six states are tracking residents for possible infections. Anant Kamath, who has worked in virology since 1998, said he is hopeful their work will lead to a swab-style test within a year and treatment within one and a half to two years. For those worried about the outbreak, Kamath wants them to know they are working on it. Three people aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship are confirmed to have died from the disease. But when it comes to combating the virus, researchers at ORF Biologics in Iowa are taking big leaps forward with protein technology to help fight the illness.

Officials said the virus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings. Health officials said detection is also difficult, as early symptoms can be confused with other diseases like the flu. Three people have died, and there was another event in Argentina where 34 people were exposed. The research team said he doesn't want the public to panic in the meantime, saying the spread is less infectious than COVID-19, but emphasized that the mortality rate is much higher. This technique can be replicated to research other diseases like avian influenza.

The team is taking specific proteins from the antivirus genome and "expressing" them in different systems like cells, bacteria, yeast and insect viruses. There will be a purified antivirus protein in here," Kamath said, showing a small bottle with white powder. As some people from the cruise have gone home to countries throughout the world, Kamath mentioned the need for a rapid, reliable and non-invasive test. The lab is trying to develop this kind of swabbing test, rather than sophisticated blood testing that isn't accessible, such as on a cruise ship. This is something that shouldn't be overestimated, but it shouldn't be underestimated either in its lethality.