90-Second Read: 'No indication' Andes strain of Hantavirus has mutated: EU agency

The European Union's health agency ECDC said Wednesday there was nothing to suggest that the Andes strain of Hantavirus had mutated following a deadly outbreak of the illness on a cruise ship. The deaths of three passengers from a rare Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise from Argentina to Cape Verde has sparked international alarm. Laboratory testing in South Africa and Switzerland confirmed the virus to be the Andes strain, the only Hantavirus strain known to pass between humans. Seven other passengers are confirmed to have the virus, including a French woman in a critical condition, while an eighth case is considered "probable," according to an AFP tally.

There are no vaccines or specific treatments for Hantavirus. Both ECDC and World Health Organization guidelines include a 42-day quarantine and constant monitoring of high-risk contacts because the incubation period can take six weeks. Due to the long incubation period, it is still possible that more cases among the passengers who are now actually in quarantine will occur. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies.

The disease is usually spread from infected rodents, typically through urine, droppings and saliva. Gianfranco Spiteri, ECDC's head of global epidemic intelligence and health security, said the risk of transmission was greatest for those who showed symptoms of the illness. But he acknowledged that people might be contagious in the first couple of days days before symptoms appear. So in terms of taking a preventive and highly precautionary approach, we recommend for example that contact tracing should be done for two days before onset of symptoms as well.