Arizona health expert weighs in on potential for a hantavirus pandemic

Could the hantavirus outbreak that struck a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean lead to a widespread epidemic or pandemic? An Arizona public health expert doesn’t think so.

Former Arizona State Epidemiologist Dave Engelthaler said officials have done a good job of responding to the outbreak and keeping a “tight ring” around it.

Engelthaler is a professor at Arizona State University and executive director of Health Observatory at the school.

“We’re not seeing further transmissions. There may be a couple, but this is not a risk for large-scale epidemic. … We would say outbreak — not epidemic, not pandemic,” he told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos on Monday.

Hantavirus doesn’t spread easily, expert says

A type of hantavirus called the Andes virus can be transmitted from person to person, but it is not easily spread, according to Engelthaler, who was involved in the state’s response during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is typically spread through rodents in South America, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

“It’s never known to cause an epidemic, and usually clusters or outbreaks are just a few people, or maybe a couple dozen at most,” he explained. “So, we knew there was a risk, but no one expected it to show up on a cruise ship and actually start infecting people from other parts of the world.”

The Andes virus killed three people who traveled aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius and sickened several others.

One person from Arizona was aboard the stricken cruise ship and has returned home. Local health officials are monitoring the traveler for hantavirus symptoms, but so far there are no signs of illness.

“The risk is low enough and the communication, I think, is thorough enough that we can work with the individuals, have them home quarantine and still have regular symptom checks and be able to respond as quickly as possible when needed,” Engelthaler said.

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