Hantavirus Outbreak On Cruise Ship: A suspected outbreak of Hantavirus on a cruise ship has been of global concern following three fatalities and numerous infections being reported. Health officials suspect that the disease, which is normally contracted by coming into contact with the infected rodents or by touching their droppings, can have been transmitted in stuffy conditions on board. World Health Organization has also confirmed that elaborate investigations are ongoing, including laboratory tests, epidemiological research, and sequencing of the virus to gain a better understanding of the origin and transmission of the outbreak.
Hantavirus Outbreak On Cruise Ship: History Of Hantavirus
Hantavirus Outbreak On Cruise Ship: The Hantaviruses are not new but have been recorded over the centuries in Asia and Europe where they have been linked to hemorrhagic fever and kidney related complications. But the disease began to be widely known in the early 1990s when a new strain of the disease was identified in the United States, especially in the Four Corners region. This virus leads to the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome which is a severe respiratory disease. The disease recently made the headlines after the wife of a late actor Gene Hackman succumbed to the infection in New Mexico.
Hantavirus Outbreak On Cruise Ship: How Does This Disease Spread?
Hantavirus Outbreak On Cruise Ship: The virus is most commonly spread by the inhalation of airborne droppings, saliva or urine of rats. When cleaning poorly ventilated spaces (cabins, sheds, or storage spaces), people are at the highest risk due to rodents that may reside in those spaces. Although it is almost impossible to have human to human infection, health specialists caution that the risks of exposure are elevated in the enclosed areas. In the United States, the majority of the cases have been reported in the western states such as New Mexico and Arizona where the rural conditions predispose the rodent to human rodent contact.
Hantavirus Outbreak On Cruise Ship: Symptoms
Hantavirus Outbreak On Cruise Ship: Initially, the symptoms of hantavirus infection can be similar to the flu, with such symptoms as fever, chills, muscle aches, and headaches, which makes it hard to detect them early. Nonetheless, the condition may quickly progress resulting in acute respiratory distress due to the filling of the lungs with fluid. Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome is another type of the disease that affects the renal system and may have varying severity. The death rates vary based on the strain with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome being the deadliest. Although it has no particular cure, early medical intervention can greatly enhance the survival chances. Prevention measures, such as the prevention of contact with rodents and the safe cleaning of contaminated facilities, are the most effective measures to prevent infection.
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