BOSTON — Health officials continue to track multiple hantavirus cases linked to a cruise ship outbreak, as questions linger about how concerned New England travelers and local communities should be.
Some patients connected to the outbreak were medically evacuated from the ship, while others were unable to disembark due to concerns that they could spread the virus.
Dr. Zoe Weiss, director of microbiology at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said hantavirus is extremely rare in the United States. She said health officials typically see only 50 to 100 cases nationwide each year, with most occurring on the West Coast or in the Southwest.
In her own career, Weiss said she has treated only one person with a suspected case of hantavirus.
People who become infected may not show symptoms for as long as eight weeks. Once symptoms begin, patients can rapidly worsen, progressing from severe flu‑like illness to respiratory failure. Weiss said roughly half of hantavirus patients do not survive.
The strain of hantavirus linked to the cruise ship outbreak can spread from person to person, but Weiss stressed that transmission requires close contact with the secretions of someone who is actively ill.
As the busy summer travel season approaches, Weiss said people should not cancel their plans.
“You have to have pretty close contact with the secretions of a person who is actively ill,” Weiss said, noting that, unlike COVID‑19, this virus does not spread easily from people who are asymptomatic. “Because of how quickly people get sick, they’re not typically in a position where they can go and travel and interact with lots and lots of people.”
Locally, Weiss said there is little reason for concern in New England. She noted it is more common in the region to be exposed to other rodent‑borne illnesses, which can still cause serious health issues.
As people begin opening sheds and cabins that have been sealed for the winter, Weiss shared advice for cleaning areas where rodents may have nested. She recommends opening windows to air out the space, wearing an N95 mask and gloves, and avoiding dry sweeping.
“What you don’t want is all the dust and particles to come up into the air and then you’re breathing them in,” she said, advising people to wet areas or use bleach to prevent particles from becoming airborne.
Weiss added that local rodents can transmit illnesses such as salmonella, Lyme disease, and other viruses that can cause eye infections and even meningitis. She said it’s best to avoid direct contact with rodents whenever possible, even though hantavirus remains extremely uncommon in the region.
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