Tag: Spread of Virus

Hantavirus – ground zero ?

Hantavirus is in the news worldwide after it caused fatal infections in at least a couple of Cruise ship passengers.

The ground zero – that is where the infection of cruise passengers first occurred – is still yet to be determined.

The Dutch vessel MV Hondius deparated from the Argentina’s southernmost city, Ushuaia. A landfill site on the outskirts of Ushuaia has been potentially marked as a source of infection.

The Argentine health officials there in Ushuaia deny that their city is the source of infection.

It’s going to take a longtime to establish a source and even then, it may never be conclusively established just like coronavirus.

“Lab leak theory” ( from Wuhan lab) was prominent for COVID virus along with “animal origin theory ( Wuhan market).

But with the recent Hantavirus break, an “animal origin (rodents)” is being looked at and there is no suggestion of a lab origin so far.

References

BBC News. 10 May 2026. Tourist hotspot at ‘end of the world’ denies causing hantavirus outbreak.

BBC News.1 March 2023. Covid origin: Why the Wuhan lab-leak theory is so disputed.

BMJ 9 Sept 2024. Will we ever know where covid-19 came from? BMJ 2024; 386 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q1578(Published 09 September 2024)Cite this as: BMJ 2024;386:q1578

BBC News. 19 Sept 2024. Genetic ghosts suggest Covid’s market origins.

BBC News. 26 Jan 2025. CIA says lab leak most likely source of Covid outbreak.

WHO News. 27 June 2025. WHO Scientific advisory group issues report on origins of COVID-19..

Disclaimer: Please note – This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information research only and do check the sources where cited. But the author cannot vouch for scientific integrity of the sources cited and author is not responsible for any information in any advert on those cited pages. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options, which are directly relevant and specific to you. The views expressed in this blog are NOT, in any way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice. The blog is NOT previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed, in any way, by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog likely represents some of the author’s personal views held at the time of drafting this blog and MAY CHANGE overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light.

About Hantavirus and how to get reliable trustworthy information

The Hantavirus infection of passengers in a Cruise ship has got many people worried worldwide.

The Dutch ship- MV Hondius – departed from Argentina on 1 April, with about 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries.

Some passengers seem to have picked up the infection in Argentina. At least two people are reported to have died of the Hantavirus infection.

It is important to remember that Hantavirus infection is not always deadly. Lot of people do seem to recover from it. But some people can develop serious lung problems or Kidney and bleeding problems.

The ship has now arrived at Canary Islands and passengers will be expected to go their own countries. Could this spread the virus widely ?

The experts are reassuring the public by pointing out the Hantavirus infection is very different from COVID-19 . The WHO experts does not seem to be worried about another pandemic.

The virus can take more time to cause symptoms and that’s why returning British cruise passengers face a 45 day isolation (quarantine ). As the experts learn more about this subtype of virus, precautions may change in future.

It is important that everyone looks at source of information on social media and resist the urge to forward sensationalist messages from untrustworthy sources.

How to get reliable trustworthy information?

If possible, do not pay attention to information from social media sources, which are not a well sourced.

Try the mainstream newspapers and TV news. (eg BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky News) for latest information.

Try official sources in UK and USA. ( eg . UK Health security agency, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION CDC.gov)

References

BBC News 10th May 2026. Plane carrying passengers from cruise ship hit by virus lands in UK.

BBC News. Hantavirus outbreak not the start of a pandemic, WHO says, as five cases confirmed on cruise ship. 6 May 2026

BBC News. Britons on hantavirus cruise ship face 45 days of self-isolation.

Wiki. List of newspapers in the United Kingdom

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). What is hantavirus? How is it transmitted and what are the symptoms? Blog Editor, 5 May 2026

CDC: U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: Hantavirus

( cruise ship picture for illustration only; this is not the actual ship involved in recent outbreak of Hantavirus)

Disclaimer: Please note – This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information research only and do check the sources where cited. But the author cannot vouch for scientific integrity of the sources cited and author is not responsible for any information in any advert on those cited pages. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options, which are directly relevant and specific to you. The views expressed in this blog are NOT, in any way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice. The blog is NOT previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed, in any way, by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog likely represents some of the author’s personal views held at the time of drafting this blog and MAY CHANGE overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light.

Can Vaccinated people spread the disease to others if they get a COVID infection?

Yes.

Normally Vaccines that are highly effective (for various other diseases) prevent most vaccinated people from getting the infection completely.

But that does not seem to be the case with COVID vaccines.

The COVID vaccines are highly successful in preventing severe COVID, hospitalisations and deaths. But they seem to be a bit less effective in preventing people from catching mild COVID infections.

So if a vaccinated person gets a mild COVID infection, can they pass it onto others?

Yes, they can.

This is an important fact for people with vulnerable family members and friends.

If you have mild symptoms, do get tested and be extremely careful when you are with your vulnerable family members ( elderly parents, grandparents etc).

You can pass COVID to them even if you do not have much symptoms.

As vaccines lose some effectiveness over a period of time, do NOT assume that double vaccination would protect your vulnerable family members.

A recent Public Health England report indicates that both vaccinated and unvaccinated people with COVID infection are equally infectious and capable of spreading to others.

A similar report was also published from USA recently.

The end is not in sight yet. Be careful when you are with vulnerable family members !

References

Nature. COVID vaccines slash viral spread – but Delta is an unknown.
Smriti Mallapaty

CDC. How Vaccines work.

CDC. Diseases that Vaccines prevent.

U.K. Public Health England. SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation in England: technical briefing 20. Ref: PHE publications gateway number: GOV-9220. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1009243/Technical_Briefing_20.pdf

USA. BMJ. Covid-19: Delta infections threaten herd immunity vaccine strategyBMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1933 (Published 02 August 2021)Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n1933

Disclaimer: Please note – This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog are NOT, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice. The blog is NOT previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed, in any way, by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog likely represents some of the author’s personal views held at the time of drafting the blog and MAY CHANGE overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light.