WHO shares how to prevent the spread of hantavirus after three people die

The World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed the ways you can prevent spreading hantavirus after three confirmed deaths were linked to an outbreak on a cruise ship.

If you're getting flashbacks to 2019, you’re not alone.

The coronavirus pandemic was little more than whispers in November of that year, before the WHO shut down the world and called in a crisis just five months later.

People could no longer see their friends or families, give birth with their partners present, or even comfort one another at funeral processions.

So, when the WHO talks about another potential outbreak of a disease you’ve never heard of, it’s understandable that you might be a little apprehensive.

When it comes to a hantavirus outbreak, news broke on April 1 that the MV Hondius cruise ship from Argentina had confirmed eight suspected cases on board – with three passengers subsequently dying.

Hantavirus is something that is usually spread through rodents, but the Andes virus strain that appears to have infiltrated the ship can spread from person-to-person contact.

With an up to 40 percent mortality rate, it’s a scary disease to contract, with symptoms occurring between one to eight weeks after contact.

According to the Argentine government, the spread could have been caused by a birdwatching trip in Ushuaia that two of the passengers joined before boarding the ship.

According to the WHO, it’s time to be careful about how you go about your days while authorities rush to locate others who may have come into contact with infected passengers.

On its official website and Instagram channel, the organization recommends keeping away from rodents, as well as the following:

• keeping homes and workplaces clean
• sealing openings that allow rodents to enter buildings
• storing food securely
• using safe cleaning practices in areas contaminated by rodents
• avoiding dry sweeping or vacuuming rodent droppings
• dampening of contaminated areas before cleaning
• strengthening hand hygiene practices

According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms to look out for that may suggest infection includes fatigue, fever, muscles aches, headaches, dizziness, chills, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, shortness of breath, and even death.