Hantavirus/What we need to know, doctor Skënder Brataj provides details

2026-05-07 16:30:00, Shëndeti CNA

Today everyone is talking about the virus that is suspected to have affected several passengers on a cruise ship in the Atlantic.

Let's make some clarifications!

Hantaviruses are viruses that are transmitted mainly by rodents through their urine, feces, and saliva.

In addition to hantaviruses, various rodents can transmit many other infectious diseases to humans. The most important are:

Large rats

Rattus norvegicus → sewer rat

Rattus rattus → black rat

Small mice

Mus musculus → house mouse

Voles/field mice

often associated with hantaviruses in Europe

Hamsters can transmit LCMV

Squirrels and wild rodents, sometimes carriers of bacteria or parasites

Beavers and nutria may be linked to leptospirosis and waterborne infections

Leptospirosis

It is caused by the Leptospira bacteria. It is transmitted through rat urine and contaminated water. It can cause fever, liver and kidney damage, and meningitis.

Plague

It is caused by Yersinia pestis. It is usually transmitted by rat fleas. It has bubonic, septicemic, and pulmonary forms.

salmonella

Food contamination from rodent feces. Causes gastroenteritis, diarrhea, and fever.

Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus (LCMV)

ZVirus transmitted by house mice. Can cause meningitis or encephalitis.

Tularemia

Bacterial infection caused by Francisella tularensis. It can also be transmitted by wild rodents and rabbits.

Rickettsioses

Some are transmitted through fleas or rodent mites.

Rat-bite fever

It is caused by bacteria such as Streptobacillus moniliformis. It is transmitted by bites or contact with rat secretions.

Enteric infections

Such as E. coli, Campylobacter, etc., from food and water contamination.

These infections are more common on ships, ports, warehouses and food supply facilities, the presence of rodents is always considered a serious epidemiological risk, especially in:

food storage systems, ventilation, sewage, closed technical spaces.

Therefore, on cruise ships and ports the following applies:

* deratization programs,

* sanitary checks,

* food and water monitoring,

* periodic epidemiological inspections.

Humans become infected primarily by inhaling contaminated particles dispersed in the air or by coming into contact with contaminated surfaces or foods.

Human-to-human transmission is extremely rare and has been documented almost only for the so-called Andes virus in a few cases in Argentina and Chile, through very close and prolonged contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons.

What could theoretically have been the routes of spread on a cruise ship?

Environmental contamination by infected rodents, especially in technical or storage areas;

Spread of contaminated particles through ventilation or air conditioning systems, if they are connected to areas contaminated by rodent droppings;

Contact with contaminated surfaces or foods;

Less commonly, close contact with infected persons in the presence of specific variants of the virus.

Hantavirus infection can cause:

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), characterized by acute respiratory failure, fluid accumulation in the lungs, and shock, or Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS), which can cause renal failure and hemorrhagic complications.

These are potentially very serious infections. In some forms, the mortality rate can be high, especially without early diagnosis and treatment.

There is currently no widely available vaccine or universally effective specific antiviral therapy. Treatment is primarily intensive supportive care, with respiratory, hemodynamic, and renal monitoring. Ribavirin has been used in some cases, particularly in some forms of HFRS, but results are not consistent across cases.

It is important to note that, in the face of news circulating on social networks or the media, official confirmations from health authorities and epidemiological investigations should always be awaited before confidently attributing an outbreak to a specific hantavirus./ CNA