In a May 15 media briefing, the World Health Organization lowered the global number of confirmed or probable Andes hantavirus cases from 11 to 10 and said more than 120 cruise ship passengers have returned to their home countries.
Eight of the cases are confirmed and two are probable. Of those 10 cases, the WHO has confirmed three deaths.
The Andes hantavirus can cause severe respiratory disease and is most often spread through contact with rodents; person-to-person transmission is rare, according to the CDC.
The virus was detected on the MV Hondius, a cruise ship that departed Argentina on April 1 and docked May 10 in the island of Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands. Approximately 150 people were on the ship, and a majority of them have repatriated to their home countries. The first passenger got sick April 6.
The chances of this outbreak spurring a pandemic, as well as the overall risk to the American public and travelers, are extremely low, according to the CDC.
Five updates:
1. Two American passengers have joined 16 others at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s National Quarantine Unit in Omaha, where clinicians are monitoring them, according to a May 15 statement from the university. The two patients were previously at Emory University’s Serious Communicable Diseases Unit in Atlanta.
2. CDC leaders said May 15 there are no hantavirus cases in the U.S. The 11th case initially reported by the WHO was based on an inconclusive test for a passenger from the U.S.
The CDC said May 14 it is monitoring 41 people in the U.S.
The agency said it has assessed each affected U.S. resident “based on their presence on the MV Hondius during the time when Andes virus was spreading on board or where they were seated on a plane in relation to an infected person.”
3. The CDC does not recommend testing people for Andes virus who are not experiencing symptoms, which can take up to 42 days to present. Serologic testing can show results for hantavirus within 24 hours, according to the agency.
4. The WHO is working with the CDC and approximately 30 other countries to respond to the hantavirus outbreak. The global organization said it is focused on following up on the status of confirmed and suspected cases, conducting more research on the epidemiology of Andes hantavirus and fostering “scientific collaboration for optimal clinical care of patients infected with this virus.”
5. The WHO and the CDC are also collaborating on a response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The CDC said May 17 it is working to withdraw a “small number of Americans” from Congo “who are directly affected by this outbreak.”
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.