90-Second Read: What an infectious disease specialist wants you to know about Hantavirus

As the number of suspected or confirmed Hantavirus cases linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship rises to about a dozen, people across the country are watching with concern. Others are more cautious, raising questions about how the Andes strain of Hantavirus is transmitted and the length of its incubation period. We just had a CDC statement sent out through the South Carolina Department of Public Health, which is really a reminder to clinicians about how Hantavirus can present, what the risks are and how to respond if concerned. It can lead to what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls "a severe and deadly disease that affects the lungs." But the agency's director said on CBS News that the risk to the public is "much, much lower" than.

A: The Andes virus, which is within the Hantavirus family, is the only strain that we know can spread person to person. A: Those of us in infectious diseases are trained to have a healthy worry when this concern arises for the well-being of patients. A: I would say certainly for those of us here in South Carolina and, honestly, throughout the United States, you should keep in mind that this outbreak is really linked to this very specific ship. And I think it's helpful for folks to know this isn't a new discovery. The Andes virus has been recognized as a known pathogen.

So, it's usually direct physical contact, meaning that they're in the same enclosed space for quite some time and may be spread through saliva or respiratory secretions from coughing or from kissing. And when it does, it's extremely rare to see it spread from human to human. But, thankfully, compared to how infectious COVID-19 is, it is not in the same vein of concern. That's why we have our public health services to help monitor those folks, providing them support and direct care. They're usually transmitted to humans through infected mice and rats through their urine and droppings or saliva.

A: That's in part because there are no known cases in South Carolina. Now, if we do end up having this concern here, the question becomes: Are we prepared with the resources we would need, with the education of our team members, to respond quickly if something changes? It requires prolonged exposure, close contact with someone who is symptomatically infected. Thankfully, it's extremely rare to see it reach humans. Folks who were around individuals actively infected may show signs or symptoms in the future.