Hantavirus fears spark COVID flashbacks, but experts say there’s one major difference

Concerns astir rising hantavirus cases has Americans reflecting connected nan coronavirus pandemic.

Although COVID-19 began pinch a overseas strain and dispersed quickly astir nan world, experts opportunity it’s not apt that hantavirus will behave nan aforesaid way.

The rare Andes virus, which was linked to nan MV Hondius cruise vessel outbreak, is nan only known hantavirus strain that has nan capacity to dispersed from personification to person, usually done prolonged adjacent contact.

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Fox News elder aesculapian expert Dr. Marc Siegel said pinch Fox News Digital astir nan similarities and differences betwixt hantavirus and coronavirus, noting that location is "no comparison."

"You could opportunity nan comparison ends astatine that they're some single-stranded RNA viruses," he said. "That's a comparison, but [hantavirus] has been unchanged fundamentally for decades."

Dr. Marc Siegel says there's "no comparison betwixt these 2 viruses, different than that nan single-stranded RNA viruses are some carried by animals." (iStock)

Coronavirus was different because it began to mutate, which started to origin "all kinds of problems," Siegel noted.

"We don't cognize why it started to mutate, but this 1 doesn't look to person done that," he said. "And each time that goes by seems to show that mentation is correct – the genetics of it is nan same."

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"So, there's nary comparison betwixt these 2 viruses, different than that nan single-stranded RNA viruses are some carried by animals."

Siegel added that COVID is an airborne virus, while hantavirus is chiefly a secretion-borne virus, though it tin beryllium transmitted done particulate and droppings successful nan air.

The uncommon Andes virus, which was linked to nan MV Hondius cruise vessel outbreak, is nan only known hantavirus strain that has nan capacity to dispersed from personification to person, usually done prolonged adjacent contact. (Andres Gutierrez/Anadolu)

"It's not airborne ... successful position of respiratory droplets hanging successful nan air," he said. "It's very difficult to transmit."

While coronavirus "moved successful nan guidance of humans successful a important way," hantavirus has not, isolated from for "very rare" human-to-human transmission, according to nan doctor.

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There person been hantavirus cases successful nan U.S. for decades, though they are "very rare," Siegel noted.

Certain factors of this illness dispersed are changing, including warming temperatures that are causing rodents to migrate northbound toward Buenos Aires, according to nan doctor.

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The existent outbreak stemming from nan cruise vessel did not thief nan cause, Siegel went connected — but this dispersed doesn’t propose that nan microorganism has changed. Rather, it shows really adjacent quarters connected a vessel are "very conducive" to spread, he said.

Passengers disembark from nan hantavirus-stricken cruise vessel MV Hondius astatine nan larboard of Granadilla successful Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, connected May 10, 2026. (AP Photo)

"Every time that goes by shows that ... we're not seeing a 2nd procreation of spread," he reiterated.

The amended comparison to make is betwixt hantavirus and bird flu, which is simply a predominantly animal-based microorganism that "occasionally infects humans," Siegel said.

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"There are billions of birds, and each twelvemonth we talk astir really it's going to origin a pandemic, but it would person to mutate significantly," he pointed out. "I consciousness that [hantavirus] would person to mutate importantly earlier it could spell quality to quality successful immoderate important way, because this is fundamentally an animal microorganism … it's very comfortable wrong a rodent host."

Siegel went on, "If you get this virus, you're successful trouble, but getting this microorganism is very difficult."

A personification visits a COVID testing tract connected a Manhattan thoroughfare successful New York City connected Jan. 21, 2022. "Coronaviruses are airborne ... this is not," Dr. Siegel said. "And coronaviruses mutate a lot, and this does not." (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Regarding fears that different world pandemic whitethorn beryllium looming, Siegel said that conscionable because 1 microorganism becomes wide does not mean each viruses will.

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"Coronaviruses are airborne anyway. This is not. And coronaviruses mutate a lot, and this does not," he said. "I'm overmuch much concerned astir flu than this. Flu tin mutate each nan time, and it's already going quality to quality each complete nan place, and it’s airborne."

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"Most infectious disease specialists are overmuch much worried astir flu than this, arsenic deadly arsenic this tin be," he added.

"We're talking apples and oranges, and immoderate comparison you make aft that provokes fear."

Fox News Digital’s Melissa Rudy contributed to this report.