This month, a pair of viruses seized the headlines. First came a hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship, which caused as many as 13 infections, three of which were fatal. Then an Ebola outbreak flared in Africa, so far leading to more than 900 infections and 220 deaths. In both cases, the news has been…
Hantaviruses have most likely been around as long as rodents, but little was known about these pathogens before the 20th century. This rare family of viruses that rodents carry has been cited as the source of a deadly outbreak aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The virus is zoonotic, meaning it can be…
Hantavirus, a rare disease often caused by contact with droppings from infected rodents, is suspected in the deaths of three people who were aboard a cruise ship sailing the Atlantic Ocean. Hantavirus is most commonly transmitted by breathing in particles of dried rodent droppings or urine. In rare cases, it may spread among people, according…
