LIVE: Hantavirus: How far could it spread? | DW News

The World Health Organization has warned of more Hantavirus cases following the death of three people on board a cruise ship as more people are confirmed to have the virus. WHO officials say the outbreak is “not the start of a COVID pandemic,” but health authorities now face the challenge of trying to contain it. DW’s Biresh Banerjee is joined by Thomas Hofmann, Head of Emergency Preparedness and Response at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), to answer your questions about the Hantavirus outbreak in a special live Q&A…and we look forward to your questions!

Here are some key facts to inform your discussion (Source: WHO):

– Hantaviruses are a group of viruses carried by rodents that can cause severe disease in humans.
– People usually get infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva.
– Infection with hantaviruses can cause a range of illnesses, including severe disease and death.
– In the Americas, hantaviruses can cause hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), a severe respiratory illness, with a case fatality rate up to 50%.
– Andes virus, found in South America, is a currently known hantavirus for which limited human‑to‑human transmission among contacts has been documented.
– In Europe and Asia, hantaviruses cause haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).

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