An outbreak aboard a cruise ship of a rare rodent-borne illness called hantavirus has left three passengers dead and sickened others, but global health officials say the risk to the general public remains low because the germ does not easily spread between people.“This is not the next COVID, but it is a serious infectious disease,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness at the World Health Organization (WHO). “Most people will never be exposed to this.”The virus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings. Hantaviruses have been around for centuries and are thought to exist around the world. The disease gained renewed attention last year after the late actor Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from a hantavirus infection in New Mexico.
A diagram of the cycle of the orthohantavirus. 漢他病毒的傳播過程。
照片：Janicepitarisaru 維基共享資源
This outbreak may have come from ArgentinaDetailed investigations of the cruise ship outbreak are ongoing, notably to determine its source. Investigators in Argentina suspect that the cases were initially contracted during a birdwatching trip in Ushuaia, at the country’s southern tip, two officials told AP.
Argentina has seen a surge of hantavirus cases that many local public health researchers attribute to climate change. Officials have found evidence of Andes virus, a version of hantavirus found in South America.
Boats approach the Dutch flagged hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius after it arrived at the industrial port of Granadilla de Abona on the island of Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands on May 10. 數艘船隻5月10日駛近懸掛荷蘭國旗、爆發漢他病毒疫情的郵輪「洪迪烏斯號」。該郵輪當日抵達西班牙加那利群島特內里費島上的格拉納迪利亞－德阿博納工業港。
Photo: AFP 照片：法新社
The virus is spread by rodents and, more rarely, peopleHantavirus is mainly spread by contact with rodents or their urine, saliva or droppings, particularly when the material is disturbed and becomes airborne, posing a risk of inhalation. People are typically exposed to hantavirus around their homes, cabins or sheds, especially when cleaning enclosed spaces with little ventilation or exploring areas with mouse droppings. The illness starts with flu-like symptomsAn infection can rapidly progress and become life-threatening. Experts say it can start with symptoms including fever, chills, muscle aches and maybe a headache — much like the flu. Symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome usually show between one and eight weeks after contact with an infected rodent. As the infection progresses, patients might experience tightness in the chest, as the lungs fill with fluid. The other syndrome caused by hantavirus — known as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, which can cause bleeding, high fever, and kidney failure — usually develops within a week or two after exposure. Death rates vary by which hantavirus causes the illness. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is fatal in about 35% of people infected, while the death rate for hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome varies from 1% to 15% of patients, according to the CDC. Infections have been relatively uncommonHantavirus infections are relatively uncommon globally. The WHO reported that in 2025, eight countries within the Americas had documented 229 cases and 59 deaths. Argentina’s health ministry said hantavirus led to 28 deaths nationwide last year. The ministry on Tuesday last week reported 101 hantavirus infections since June 2025, roughly double the caseload recorded over the same period the previous year. Most US cases are in Western states. New Mexico and Arizona are hot spots, likely because the odds are greater for mouse-human encounters in rural areas. The Andes virus is a concerning member of the hantavirus familyThe word hantavirus refers to a broad family of viruses, with different versions in different countries. Almost none of them have been found to spread from person to person — with the possible exception of the Andes virus, which has been confirmed in the current outbreak. Still, transmission between people does not happen easily, and would require “close and prolonged’’ contact, according to the WHO.“We haven’t had huge person-to-person spreads of hantavirus infection ever before, and there’s no reason to suspect a huge outbreak from this case at this point,” said Steven Bradfute, an associate professor and associate director of the Center for Global Health at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, which specializes in hantavirus research. A lot of unknowns about the illness and treatmentThere is no specific treatment or cure, but early medical attention can increase the chance of survival. Despite years of research, many questions have yet to be answered, including why it can be mild for some people and severe for others and how antibodies are developed. Some researchers have been following patients over long periods of time in hopes of finding a treatment. What researchers do know is that rodent exposure is key. The best way to avoid the germ is to minimize contact with rodents and their droppings. Use protective gloves and a bleach solution for cleaning up rodent droppings. Public health experts caution against sweeping or vacuuming, which can cause virus particles to get into the air. (AP)一艘郵輪近日爆發罕見的鼠類傳播疾病「漢他病毒」（Hantavirus）疫情，已造成3名乘客死亡，另有多人染病。不過，全球衛生官員表示，由於漢他病毒不易在人與人之間傳播，一般大眾的染病風險仍然偏低。世界衛生組織（WHO）流行病與大流行防備主任瑪麗亞．范科霍芙表示：「這不是下一場COVID，但它確實是一種嚴重的傳染病。大多數人終其一生都不太可能接觸到它」。漢他病毒的傳播，通常是由於人吸入被鼠類排泄物所污染的微粒。漢他病毒已存在數百年，被認為遍布全球各地。去年，已故演員金．哈克曼的妻子貝琪．荒川因感染漢他病毒於美國新墨西哥州病逝，再度讓此疾病受到關注。疫情可能源自阿根廷目前針對郵輪疫情的詳細調查仍在進行中，尤其是感染源頭。兩名官員向美聯社表示，阿根廷調查人員懷疑，病例最初可能是在阿根廷最南端城市烏斯懷亞（Ushuaia）的一場賞鳥行程中感染。阿根廷近年漢他病毒病例增加，當地不少公共衛生研究人員認為與氣候變化有關。官員已發現「安地斯病毒」（Andes virus）的證據，這是南美洲常見的一種漢他病毒。漢他病毒主要經鼠類傳播，少數情況可人傳人漢他病毒主要透過接觸鼠類，及其尿液、唾液或排泄物傳播，尤其是在這些物質被擾動、化為空氣中的微粒後，可能被人吸入。人們通常是在住家、小木屋、倉庫等地方接觸到病毒，尤其是在清理通風不良的密閉空間，或進入有鼠類排泄物的地方時。初期症狀類似流感感染漢他病毒後，病情可能迅速惡化，甚至危及生命。專家表示，初期症狀包括發燒、畏寒、肌肉痠痛與頭痛，與流感十分相似。「漢他病毒肺症候群」（Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome）症狀通常在接觸受感染鼠類後1至8週出現。隨著病情進展，患者可能會感到胸悶，因肺部開始積水。另一種由漢他病毒引發的疾病稱為「腎症候群出血熱」（Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome），可能導致出血、高燒與腎衰竭，通常於感染後1至2週內發病。不同漢他病毒株的死亡率有所差異。根據美國疾病管制與預防中心（CDC）資料，漢他病毒肺症候群致死率約35%；腎症候群出血熱的死亡率則介於1%至15%之間。全球病例相對少見整體而言，漢他病毒在全球的感染案例仍屬罕見。世衛指出，2025年美洲地區8個國家共通報229個病例與59例死亡。阿根廷衛生部表示，去年全國共有28人死於漢他病毒；上週二則指出，自2025年6月以來，已通報101例感染病例，約為前一年同期的兩倍。美國病例則主要集中於西部各州，其中新墨西哥州及亞利桑那州被視為熱點，可能的原因是鄉村地區人鼠接觸機率較高。安地斯病毒需特別警惕「漢他病毒」其實是一整個病毒家族的統稱，各國有不同的病毒株。幾乎所有漢他病毒都未被證實能人傳人，唯一可能的例外就是此次疫情中確認出現的「安地斯病毒」。不過，世衛指出，漢他病毒並不容易人傳人，它需要「密切且長時間的接觸」。專門研究漢他病毒的新墨西哥大學全球健康中心副主任史蒂芬．布萊德富特表示：「過去從未出現過大規模的人傳人漢他病毒疫情，目前也沒有理由認為這次會演變成大流行」。疾病與治療方式仍有許多未知漢他病毒目前並無特效藥或根治方法，但及早接受醫療照護可提高存活率。儘管研究多年，科學界仍有許多未解之謎，例如為何有的患者症狀輕微、有的卻病情嚴重，以及人體如何產生抗體。有研究人員正長期追蹤患者，希望找出治療方法。目前研究最確定的一點，是「接觸鼠類」為主要風險來源。避免感染漢他病毒的最佳方式，就是減少接觸鼠類及其排泄物。清理鼠類排泄物時應戴上防護手套，並使用漂白水消毒。公共衛生專家提醒，不應直接掃地或使用吸塵器，以免病毒微粒揚起進入空氣中。（台北時報林俐凱編譯）