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A 25-year-old man placed in isolation in Italy tested negative for hantavirus, easing concerns about transmission on a flight that briefly hosted an infected Dutch woman.
Italy Says Suspected Hantavirus Case Is Negative, Easing Worries(Bloomberg) -- A 25-year-old man placed in isolation in Italy tested negative for hantavirus, easing concerns about transmission on a flight that briefly hosted an infected Dutch woman.
The man, from the southern region of Calabria, spent some time close to the Dutch passenger on a KLM flight in late April, according to Italian media. The woman died the next day. Rome’s Spallanzani hospital ran the tests on the Italian man.
The risk to the broader public from the Hondius cruise ship outbreak remains low, according to public health officials, but the cluster has prompted a multicountry response as passengers are repatriated and monitored for symptoms that can take weeks to appear. Their contacts are also under close surveillance.
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Hantaviruses typically spread through exposure to rodent droppings or urine. The Andes virus strain, found on the cruise ship, is the only known variant capable of spreading between people, though this transmission is rare and usually requires close or prolonged contact.
Symptoms of hantavirus can appear between five days and six weeks after exposure. They usually begin with general symptoms like fever, headache, fatigue, and muscle aches, which can resemble the flu.
No, experts state that the Andes virus is far less infectious than SARS-CoV-2 and does not pose a pandemic risk. It infects deeper in the lungs, making person-to-person transmission much harder than with COVID-19.
Hantavirus has a long incubation period, potentially up to 42 days. The World Health Organization recommends monitoring and quarantine for this duration to account for the uncertainty around when infected individuals may become contagious.
No, the average person should not be worried. Previous outbreaks have been successfully contained with containment measures, and health authorities understand how the virus spreads, making pandemic potential unlikely.
The World Health Organization has recommended monitoring and quarantine for up to 42 days, reflecting the virus’s long incubation period and uncertainty around when infected people may become contagious. Additional cases may emerge because passengers interacted before preventive measures were put in place, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday.
The Andes strain of hantavirus, found in South America, is the only known variant capable of spreading between people, though transmission is considered rare and typically linked to close or prolonged contact. Still, scientists say the evidence base is limited, and the conditions under which the virus spreads are not fully understood.
Health officials are continuing to trace contacts and monitor passengers across multiple countries as they assess how the virus spread on board and whether additional infections occur. Confirmation of the negative tests for the Italian KLM passenger came from a statement by the Italian Health Ministry.
--With assistance from Jason Gale and Chiara Albanese.
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