Could Hantavirus Become The Next Pandemic? Here’s What Experts Are Saying

Hantavirus is unlikely to spread on a pandemic scale because human-to-human transmission remains limited. A report released on Friday also said India has not officially confirmed any deaths linked to the current outbreak.

The report by Elara Capital said the virus generally causes isolated and localised outbreaks due to its low transmissibility.

Researchers noted that hantavirus infections can become severe in some cases. They also said the disease does not spread as rapidly as COVID-19 because transmission between humans remains extremely rare.

The report explained that hantaviruses are primarily spread through contact with infected rodents or by inhaling virus particles from rodent urine, saliva or droppings. It added that only a few strains, including the Andes variant, have shown limited person-to-person transmission under specific circumstances.

The study highlighted the contrast between hantavirus and SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, which spread rapidly across countries due to high transmissibility.

Hantavirus infections remain uncommon globally. At present, no widely approved vaccines or antiviral treatments specifically target the disease.

The report identified two major forms of the infection seen worldwide.

In the Americas, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome causes severe respiratory illness and has reported mortality rates of up to 40–50 per cent.

In parts of Europe and Asia, Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome affects the kidneys and blood vessels. Severe cases can record mortality rates of around 15 per cent.

Recent international attention focused on the virus after the Andes strain caused a small outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship. The outbreak reportedly led to a limited number of infections and three deaths.

The first major recognised hantavirus outbreak occurred in 1993 in the Four Corners region of the United States. The Sin Nombre virus caused 53 cases and 32 deaths during the outbreak.

According to the report, China recorded more than 2.1 lakh cases of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome between 2004 and 2019. The disease caused around 1,855 deaths during the period.

In the US, authorities reported 864 hantavirus infections and approximately 302 deaths between 1993 and 2022.

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