Jim Reid

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I mean, it is very rare that that should happen.

The vast majority of cases of hantavirus appear to be spread from rodents, as you say.

And this isn't particularly nice, but it's mice and rat droppings and urine that then dry and then the dust then blows up into the air and people inhale it.

There was a famous case in Yosemite National Park in the U.S.

in 2012.

where 10 people were infected, three died, because mice had burrowed into the base of a cabin and made nests.

But as you say, it does look like, in some cases, person-to-person transmission is possible, particularly this Andy strain of Hantavirus, which is found mainly in South America, which is, of course...

where this ship sailed from.

There was a case in 2018 in Argentina.

A single party led to 34 infections and 11 deaths, and it's thought that was caused by a single infected individual passing on the virus.

The only reason we know about...

These cases, though, is because they are so unusual.

It's not the kind of thing that happens all the time.

The World Health Organization, as you said, saying this morning, it believes that human to human transmission may have taken place.

But again, it's stressing this is very uncommon.

And maybe it's something about the nature of these cruise ships with quite tight, small cabins that increases the risk.

I think a lot of people listening to this are bound to think that.

There are some key differences here.

Coronavirus, COVID was a brand new disease.