A health organization linked to Bill Gates' foundation warned years ago about the growing danger posed by hantaviruses. Five cases linked to the MV Hondius ship have been confirmed as the rat-borne hantavirus, which the Dutch couple killed on the cruise is believed to have picked up from a landfill site in Argentina during a bird watching trip. With health officials from around the world tracing contacts of people who disembarked the cruise earlier, the number is feared to rise as the incubation time for the deadly illness could be up to eight weeks.
Gavi's 2021 Warning
In May 2021, when the world was still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, a global health body called Gavi discussed the potential of hantavirus to develop into a pandemic. In an article posted on its VaccineWork platform, its experts asked whether some person-to-person transmissions warranted fear for their pandemic potential. Gavi, the vaccine alliance, has received billions of dollars from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help research and develop immunizations. While it stated that the pandemic threat level of hantavirus was deemed 'low,' hantaviruses generally were becoming 'an increasing concern.'
Endemic Spread and Concerns
Gavi said the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) has become endemic across the North and South Americas, and a type known as Andes virus was of 'particular concern in Chile and Argentina.' It noted that the combination of the long incubation period and the emergence of new species of the disease 'mean that hantaviruses are becoming an increasing concern.'
Understanding Hantavirus
Hantaviruses are a family of rodent-borne viruses, with each strain tied to a specific host species. It is spread when people come into contact with infected droppings, saliva, urine, or nesting materials, but is extremely rare and rarely passed from person to person. If caught, hantavirus can lead to two main illnesses: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), which affects the lungs, and Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS), which affects the kidneys. The incubation period is generally two to four weeks, according to the government, but can range from as little as two days to as long as eight weeks.
Symptoms and Risks
Early symptoms of hantavirus are similar to the flu and include headaches, dizziness, chills, as well as abdominal problems like diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea. If it progresses into HPS, patients can experience headaches, dizziness, chills, and abdominal problems. For HFRS, initial symptoms include intense headaches, back and abdominal pain, fever or chills, nausea, and blurred vision. Later symptoms include low blood pressure, acute shock, internal bleeding, and acute kidney failure, according to the CDC. Hantavirus can be fatal, so it is important to monitor symptoms if exposure is suspected. There is currently no cure for the disease.
Person-to-Person Transmission
Gavi's article also highlighted that 'epidemics of person-to-person transmission of the Andes virus in Argentina and Chile indicate it can evolve to sustain human-to-human transmission.' Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) and experts have insisted that the current hantavirus outbreak is not like the Covid-19 pandemic. Maria Van Kerkhove from the WHO stated: 'This is not SARS-CoV two, this is not the start of a Covid pandemic – this is an outbreak that we see on a ship, there is a confined area.' Pharmacist Thorrun Govind told Metro that it is 'very rare' for hantavirus to spread from person to person, adding that this is 'not like Covid or flu.'
Current Outbreak and Reactions
All eyes are on the movements of the MV Hondius Antarctic cruise after cases of hantavirus broke out, leading to the deaths of three people and a scramble to evacuate other cases from the doomed ship as it sails towards the Canary Islands. However, protesters in Tenerife are up in arms about the possibility of the MV Hondius docking on the island. Crowds with banners reading 'we are not second-class' demonstrated against the ship's planned arrival at the Tenerife port.
