The possibility of hantavirus contagion between people has once again taken center stage in the health debate following the outbreak detected on the cruise ship 'MV Hondius'. Although health organizations insist that this type of transmission is infrequent, various institutions and experts recall that there are documented cases associated with a specific variant: the Andes strain of hantavirus.
The World Health Organization (WHO), the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and various virology specialists agree that human-to-human transmission is exceptional in most hantavirus variants, but they acknowledge that limited chains of contagion have been recorded in some outbreaks detected in South America.
The Ministry of Health has also pointed out in recent days that the Andes strain of hantavirus is one of the few variants where there is evidence of transmission between people, which is why tracking, isolation, and quarantine measures have been activated for passengers related to the cruise ship.
The Andes strain and infections between people
The cases of transmission between humans described so far have been mainly associated with the Andes strain of hantavirus, detected especially in countries like Argentina and Chile.
The US CDC explain that this variant has shown the capacity for transmission between people in certain circumstances, especially in close and prolonged contact. The WHO also records a history of limited chains of contagion linked to outbreaks registered in South America.
During the last few days, several experts have insisted on this same idea in public statements and interviews in the media. Epidemiologist Gustavo Palacios explains in an interview in El País that the Andes strain of hantavirus "can have chain contagions," although he also pointed out that the virus does not have a behavior comparable to that of other highly transmissible respiratory pathogens.
Experts rule out a pandemic scenario
Other specialists have also pointed out that the transmission between people described in some outbreaks does not imply a pandemic behavior similar to that observed in viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.
In public statements collected in various media, virology and epidemiology experts have insisted that the documented infections of the Andes strain of hantavirus usually occur in specific environments and through close contact.
The Ministry of Health itself maintains that the risk to the general population continues to be low and argues that the measures activated seek precisely to limit possible contagions and guarantee the follow-up of close contacts related to the outbreak detected on the cruise ship.