A hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship has brought the rare rodent-borne illness to the forefront.
/Gray News) - A hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship has brought the rare rodent-borne illness to the forefront. FILE -- The MV Hondius cruise ship is anchored at a port in Praia, Cape Verde, Monday, May 4, 2026.
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. Officials said the virus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings.
According to the World Health Organization, investigations of the cruise ship outbreak remain ongoing, including determining the source of exposure.has classified the outbreak as level 3, meaning the risk to the public remains low, but six states are tracking residents for possible infections. Currently, there is no specific treatment or vaccine for hantavirus.
Health officials said detection is also difficult, as early symptoms can be confused with other diseases like the flu.in Iowa are taking big leaps forward with protein technology to help fight the illness. 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.
The team is taking specific proteins from the antivirus genome and “expressing” them in different systems like cells, bacteria, yeast and insect viruses. This technique can be replicated to research other diseases like avian influenza.
“There will be a purified antivirus protein in here,” Kamath said, showing a small bottle with white powder. “ will then go to researchers worldwide and also to the CDC and the Department of Defense. “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.
“We do feel that this is a threat. Three people have died, and there was another event in Argentina where 34 people were exposed,” Kamath said. 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 is something that shouldn’t be overestimated, but it shouldn’t be underestimated either in its lethality,” Kamath said. “Our goal is to make sure that the next pandemic doesn’t happen,” he said. Copyright 2026 KCRG via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Hantavirus Treatment Hantavirus Vaccine What Is Hantavirus? MV Hondius Cruise Ship MV Hondius Cruise Ship Hantavirus Hantavirus Outbreak Hantavirus Symptoms Centers For Disease Control And Prevention CDC Hantavirus CDC Hantavirus Level 3 Alert ORF Biologics ORF Biologics Iowa Anant Kamath Anant Kamath ORF Biologics
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