What to know about hantavirus, the illness suspected in a cruise ship outbreak that has killed 3 people

 

What to know about hantavirus, the illness suspected in a cruise ship outbreak that has killed 3 people  

 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A rodent-borne illness is suspected of causing an outbreak aboard a cruise ship that has killed three people and sickened others.

Studies indicate hantaviruses have been around for centuries, with outbreaks documented in Asia and Europe. In the Eastern Hemisphere, it has been linked with hemorrhagic fever and kidney failure. It wasn't until the early 1990s that a previously unknown group of hantaviruses emerged in the southwestern United States as the cause of an acute respiratory disease now known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. 

The World Health Organization said in a statement Sunday that detailed investigations of the cruise ship outbreak are ongoing, including further laboratory testing and epidemiological investigations. The virus is also being sequenced.