Hantavirus may have spread between passengers on cruise ship, WHO says

• WHO confirms two hantavirus cases on a cruise ship with three deaths, marking a rare instance of potential human-to-human transmission of a virus typically acquired from rodent contact
• Hantavirus person-to-person spread is exceptionally uncommon; this cluster warrants investigation into transmission route and heightened awareness among clinicians for respiratory symptoms in cruise ship passengers
• Consider hantavirus in differential diagnosis for severe respiratory illness in patients with recent cruise ship exposure, particularly given atypical transmission pattern in this outbreak

Two cases of the virus, which rarely spreads between humans, have been confirmed on the ship, and three people have died.

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