Dr. William Schaffner
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
It is an old virus.
This is not a mutating virus.
It's a pretty stable virus.
And it's a family of viruses.
There were some passengers who didn't book for the whole cruise, just part of it.
And they have already disembarked.
Those folks are being traced.
So, so far, so good.
Could there be further transmission?
Yes, but I think it's going to be very limited.
This is not COVID once again.
It's not going to run around the world and make us all sick.
So folks can be at ease about that.
Hantavirus has a high fatality rate.
Up to 30% of people who acquire this infection can die.
Good to be with you, Georgia.
Sure.
Hantavirus is a virus that lives in small rodents and usually in warmer parts of the world.
For example, our southwestern United States.
The rodents shed the virus through their saliva, their urine, and their feces, and then it can dry up.