Understanding the Hantavirus Outbreak

JOINING US. TRAVELERS HAVE BEEN PUT ON HIGH ALERT AFTER 3 PEOPLE HAVE DIED FOLLOWING AN OUTBREAK OF HANTAVIRUS ABOARD A CRUISE SHIP. THE SHIPPING QUESTION WAS PLACED UNDER QUARANTINE IN THE CANARY ISLANDS. THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION SAYS 6 MORE PASSENGERS, INCLUDING AN AMERICAN, HAVE EITHER A CONFIRMED OR SUSPECTED CASES OF THE VIRUS. THIS IS THE FIRST CONFIRMED OUTBREAK OF THE HANTA VIRUS ON A CRUISE SHIP. DESPITE THE CONCERNS OFFICIALS FROM THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION SAY THIS SHOULD BE TREATED LIKE AN ISOLATED CASE AND THAT RISK TO THE BROADER PUBLIC IS LOW. >> FOR MORE ON THE HUNT, A VIRUS OUTBREAK, WE ARE JOINED BY DOCTOR NICOLE. BEING CHIEF EPIDEMIOLOGIST AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA'S HEALTH SHANDS HOSPITAL. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH, JENNIFER. >> WE ARE HEARING THAT HANTA VIRUS IS SPREAD FROM RODENT DROPPINGS AND RARELY EVER SPREAD FROM HUMAN TO HUMAN. BUT THAT CERTAINLY IS NOT THE CASE WITH THIS PARTICULAR STRAIN. CAN'T. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY THAT IS AND WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT HOW THIS TRAIN ORIGINATED AND MADE ITS WAY ON BOARD THE SHIP AND INFECTED MULTIPLE PEOPLE. >> DOOR. SO THIS SPRING IS CALLED THE ANDES VIRUS. AND SO YOU'RE CORRECT THAT THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM ALL OF THE OTHER HAND, THE VIRUSES IN THAT IT HAS SPREAD FROM PERSON TO PERSON. THIS PARTICULAR STRAIN IS FOUND MAINLY IN SOUTH AMERICA AND THE CRUISE SHIP DID MAKE A STOP IN ARGENTINA. SO THAT IS LIKELY WHERE THE FIRST PATIENTS ACQUIRED THE INFECTION WHILE THEY WERE WENT OFF. SURE INTO OUR DUTY. >> WHAT DOES THE MORTALITY RATE OF THIS STRAIN AND CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHY IT IS SO DEADLY? >> I DID BUY ARE SAYS IN GENERAL HAVE A HIGH MORTALITY RATE EVEN WITH THE MOST ADVANCED MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS CAN BE AS HIGH AS 38 TO 40%. AND THAT INCLUDES IN THE UNITED STATES AS WELL. IT IS A VIRUS THAT ATTACKS THE BLOOD VESSELS THAT ARE THE INSIDE THE LONG CAUSES TONS THE FLUID TO ENTER INTO THE LUNGS PERSON CAN'T BREATHE AND WE CAN'T GET OXYGEN THROUGH THEIR LUNGS TO KEEP THEM PROPERLY OXYGENATE. AND THAT'S WHAT LISA HIGH MORTALITY RATE. >> CAN YOU ADDRESS THE RISK THAT THIS STRAIN POSES TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC? AND IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WE SHOULD DO TO REDUCE THAT RISK OF CONTRACTING THIS PARTICULAR VIRUS? >> THE REST OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS CLOSE TO 0. >> AND THERE'S A COUPLE OF REASONS FOR THAT. IT'S ACTUALLY NOT THAT EASY TO TRANSMIT THE ANDES VIRUS. YOU REALLY NEED TO HAVE CLOSE CONTACT WITH A PERSON WHO IS ACTIVELY INFECTED AND IT'S SHOWING SYMPTOMS. AND NOW THAT WE KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, THEY'RE OUR CONTAINMENT MEASURES IN PLACE THAT ARE GOING TO GREATLY REDUCE THE CHANCE OF IT SPREADING ANY FURTHER. THEY MIGHT BE A FEW ADDITIONAL OR SECONDARY CASES, BUT IT IS NOT GOING TO TURNING TO ANYTHING LIKE THE COVID PANDEMIC. HOW? >> AND THAT LEADS ME TO WHAT IS ON MANY PEOPLE'S MINDS THAT THEY ARE CONCERNED THAT THIS HANTA VIRUS STRAIN COULD MUTATE MAYBE TURN INTO A VIRUS THAT COULD BECOME WIDESPREAD, FEARING ANOTHER PANDEMIC TYPE ENVIRONMENT. IS THIS A FAIR CONCERN? IS THIS POSSIBLE? THAT'S A REALLY GREAT QUESTION. >> SO UNLIKE COVID, WHICH WAS A COMPLETELY NEW VIRUS. AND WE JUST LEARNED AS WE WENT ALONG, HOW CAN YOU TAKE? WE'VE KNOWN ABOUT HONDA VIRUSES FOR MANY, MANY YEARS AND THE HONDA VIRUSES ARE NOT KNOWN TO HAVE RAPID UK SHUN CYCLES LIKE COVID OR EVEN FLEW CAN'T HAVE IT MUCH MORE OF A STABLE VIRUS. SO IT IS EXTREMELY UNLIKELY. THERE'S NO REASON TO SAY THAT IS GOING TO ACQUIRE AND IN AN STABILITY GET TRANSMITTED PERSON TO PERSON. >> CAN YOU GIVE YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON HOW YOU THINK THESE CONTAINMENT MEASURES THAT ARE IN PLACE CURRENTLY? I KNOW THERE WERE AMERICANS WERE BROUGHT TO NEBRASKA. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THOSE CONTAINMENT MEASURES AND HOW EFFECTIVE DO YOU THINK THOSE ARE? >> I EXPECTED TO BE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT THESE PASSENGERS WILL UNDERGO LEAST TWICE DAILY MEDICAL EVALUATIONS TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY SIGN OF AN INFECTION, STARTING AND THEY WILL BE KEPT IN ISOLATION. SO THEY'LL BE SEPARATED FOR ONE ANOTHER AND HOSPITAL PERSONNEL WILL WEAR FUR FULL PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT OR PPE SO THAT GET INFECTED. SO ALL THOSE MEASURES ARE EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE. WE KNOW THAT FROM FROM COVID THAT WHAT YOU HAVE MEASURES LIKE THAT IN PLACE, THE VIRUS DOESN'T GET A CHANCE TO SPREAD. >> NOW AS SUMMER TRAVEL SEASON HERE, MANY FAMILIES HAVE BOOKED THEIR CRUISES AND VACATIONS ABROAD. THEY ARE THINKING ABOUT THIS VIRUS. IF YOU HAVE BOOKED A CRUISE OR TRAVEL ABROAD UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES TODAY, WOULD YOU CONTINUE WITH THOSE PLANS? AND IF SO, WOULD YOU ADVISE ANY EXTRA PRECAUTIONS? >> THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE WITH OUR VACATION PLANS. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY RARE EVENT OF OF RARE VIRUS. SO THE CHANCE TO BASK GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN IS REALLY EXTREMELY LOW. THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE TEND TO CONTRACT WHEN THEY TRAVEL ON A CRUISE. FOR EXAMPLE, ARE THINGS LIKE NOROVIRUS WHICH IS A VERY UNPLEASANT DISEASE OF NAUSEA AND VOMITING AND JURY, DEPENDING ON WHAT TIME OF YEAR IT IS. INFLUENZA IS SOMETHING THAT SPREADS ALSO SO OTHER MORE COMMON RESPIRATORY VIRUS AS A MUCH MORE LIKELY TO SPREAD. SO I WOULD DEFINITELY SAY THAT PEOPLE SHOULD CONTINUE WITH THEIR HOLIDAY. HOW PLANTS? ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR EXPERTISE AND JOINING US TODAY. DRI THANK YOU SO MUCH.