A hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship has drawn international attention, but infectious disease expert Kirsten Wiens of Temple University’s Barnett College of Public Health says the risk to the general public remains low.

“Unlike COVID, hantaviruses do not spread easily from person to person,” Wiens said. “The one exception is this Andes virus that does spread between people, but it requires close, intimate contact.”

According to Wiens, cruise ships can create conditions that make transmission easier.

“It spreads so easily on cruise ships because cruise ships have really close quarters in cabins and in dining areas,” she said. “It could spread in that kind of environment, but in everyday life, the risk is low.”

Even so, Wiens said the outbreak is worth monitoring because hantaviruses can be severe.

“With high case fatality rates, we see up to 30% or more with hantaviruses,” she said. “It is still definitely an outbreak worth keeping an eye on.”

At the same time, she emphasized that the circumstances behind the outbreak appear highly unusual.

“These are not common viruses that you find in a lot of cruise ships,” Wiens said. “It’s an extremely rare event for this to happen.”