90-Second Read: Why we shouldn't rule out airborne spread of Hantavirus

The Andes type of the Hantavirus is spread by "close contact," but it's unclear how much of that transmission occurs by inhaling airborne droplets or other means Can Hantavirus spread through the air? There are a handful of studies that have investigated how the Andes Hantavirus spreads, and there have been past outbreaks where person-to-person spread was observed. Still, if Hantavirus can spread through the air, that's important for containing the pathogen as the ship's passengers return to their respective countries and quarantine. Clues from past outbreaks and knowledge about how respiratory pathogens work could inform efforts to contain the virus as the ship's passengers and others who may have been exposed are monitored for signs of infection for up to 42 days, the incubation period of Andes virus.

Whether Hantavirus spreads efficiently through the air depends on whether the virus is in people's respiratory fluids-saliva or mucus in the upper respiratory tract or secretions from deep in the lungs. Scientists confirmed human-human transmission in a cluster of three Hantavirus cases in Argentina in 2014. And from late 2018 to early 2019, the country witnessed a super-spreader event that ultimately caused 34 confirmed cases and 11 deaths. To date, the outbreak that began on the MV Hondius has sickened up to 11 people and killed three of them.

So in that sense, the virus can be spread through the air. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said this Hantavirus type is transmitted by "close" and "prolonged" contact, but it's not clear what that means. In the latter outbreak, a person who was likely infected by a rodent and had fever symptoms attended a crowded birthday party with around 100 other people for 90 minutes. Five people who sat near the infected person later developed symptoms between 17 and 24 days after the party.

The quarantine unit staff are treating the passengers with full airborne precautions-that means wearing high-level personal protective equipment such as N95 respirators, gowns and eye protection, Santarpia says. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history. He eventually died, his spouse attended his wake while feverish, and 10 other people were sickened at the wake.