Eight passengers on a cruise ship have been confirmed infected with the Andes variant of hantavirus [1].
The outbreak is significant because the Andes variant is a specific strain of hantavirus that can spread directly between humans, unlike most other versions of the virus.
This particular variant carries a reported fatality rate of 35% [1]. While eight people have tested positive, approximately 30 other passengers have already disembarked at intermediate ports [1].
Hantavirus is typically transmitted to humans through contact with rodent excreta. However, the Andes variant's ability to move from person to person has prompted concerns about wider transmission. Park Young-joon, a crisis management official at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said the virus spreads through the respiratory system, similar to COVID-19.
Korean health authorities said the risk of domestic spread remains low. This assessment is based on the fact that the specific rodent host for this variant does not live in Korea, and no domestic cases have been identified [2].
The broader family of hantaviruses was first identified in 1976 in the Han River region of South Korea [1]. Since that discovery, the virus has also been identified in North and South America [2].
“The Andes variant is a specific strain of hantavirus that can spread directly between humans.”
The emergence of a human-to-human transmission cluster on a cruise ship highlights the vulnerability of high-density travel environments to rare viral variants. While the lack of a local rodent reservoir in Korea reduces the risk of an endemic outbreak, the movement of passengers across international ports necessitates rigorous screening to prevent the establishment of the virus in new regions.
