Hantavirus on cruise ship confirmed as rare type that can spread human-to-human

The bank vole is one of the rodents that can transmit the hantavirus. In rare cases, there is human-to-human transmission. Patrick Pleul/picture alliance/via hide caption toggle caption Patrick Pleul/picture alliance/via It appears that hantavirus — which is typically spread by exposure to rodent urine, feces or saliva and can be deadly — may have spread between passengers on a cruise ship that's anchored off the coast of Cape Verde. "We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that's happening among the really close contacts, the husband and wife, people who've shared cabins," said Maria Van Kerkhove, the director of epidemic and pandemic management at the World Health Organization, speaking at a press conference on Tuesday. "It's very, very surprising, and obviously a very rare occurrence," says Kari Debbink , a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. However, she adds, the evidence presented by the WHO is "compelling," although the risk to the general public remains very low. As of Wednesday, there are three confirmed cases and five suspected hantavirus cases among the 147 passengers and crew members on the boat. Three of the patients have died and one patient is in intensive care in South Africa, although Van Kerkhove said this patient is "improving." She added that two people on board the ship are being prepared for medical evacuation to the Netherlands, where they will receive treatment. …