World Health Organization officials suspect rare human-to-human transmission of hantavirus aboard a cruise ship that visited islands off the coast of Africa [1, 2].
This development is significant because hantavirus is typically transmitted from rodents to humans, not between people. If confirmed, the shift in transmission dynamics could change how health agencies monitor and contain outbreaks of the virus.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, said the organization believes transmission may be occurring among close contacts [1]. The outbreak has resulted in three deaths [1].
Health officials have identified a total of seven cases [1]. Van Kerkhove said the WHO has confirmed two cases and suspects five additional cases among passengers and crew [4].
An unnamed WHO spokesperson said the situation is concerning because of the virus's typical transmission route [3]. The cruise ship had stopped at several islands off the African coast before the cases were identified [2, 3].
Officials believe that the close contact inherent to cruise ship travel may have allowed the virus to spread between passengers [1, 5]. The WHO continues to monitor the situation to determine if this represents a broader change in how the virus behaves.
“We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that is happening among the really close contacts.”
The suspected human-to-human spread of hantavirus represents a departure from the known epidemiology of the virus. While hantaviruses are usually zoonotic, the confined environment of a cruise ship may create the specific conditions necessary for rare interpersonal transmission. This event prompts a re-evaluation of risk factors for passengers in high-density travel environments and may lead to updated WHO protocols for zoonotic disease surveillance.
