Hantavirus Headlines are Scary, but Pandemic's an Unlikely Outcome

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Don't get me wrong: Hantavirus is a serious illness. But this latest viral bogeyman in the news isn't expected to become a world-shifting pandemic that shuts down schools and requires everyone to wear masks for their own safety.

Here's what you need to know:

Hantavirus doesn't behave like flu, COVID, or measles. In the United States, people usually catch it from breathing in virus-contaminated dust from rodent urine, droppings, saliva, or nesting material - not casual contact with other people. The Centers for Disease Control reports that only 890 U.S. cases were reported from 1993 through the end of 2023.

Why's it on our minds now? The World Health Organization is tracking a cruise-ship cluster involving the Andes virus, a rare hantavirus strain in South America that has shown limited person-to-person transmission in past outbreaks. Even there, WHO says the global public health risk is low. That's very different from a virus adapted for easy, sustained community spread.

Dozens of passengers left hantavirus-stricken cruise ship after 1st fatality

Oceanwide Expeditions has revealed that 29 passengers disembarked from one of its cruise ships hit by a hantavirus outbreak on April 24.

AP NewsMolly Quell and Gerald Imray and Suman Naishadham

For North Carolina, the risk looks even lower. State public health officials indicate that hantavirus is contracted from infected rodents or their waste, but the state has only had one recorded case - in 1995. None since.

So, for neighbors in South Durham: this isn't really a pandemic threat, but a reminder to take precautions when you're doing spring-cleaning projects in sheds, garages, attics, or crawlspaces where you might find mouse droppings.

The CDC urges people not to sweep or vacuum droppings when they're dry. Wet them with disinfectant, let it soak, and then wipe up while wearing gloves and a face mask.

About Hantavirus

An overview of hantavirus, how it’s spread and how it can be treated.

HantavirusCDC

If you develop fever, muscle aches, and shortness of breath after rodent exposure, seek medical care.

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