WHO: Hantavirus only transmitted via close contact, potentially with saliva exposure

The World Health Organization has moved to quell public anxiety surrounding the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship, emphasizing that transmission requires extremely close personal contact. This clarification is crucial for preventing undue panic and ensuring accurate public understanding of the risks involved.

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By close contact is understood to be practically face-to-face, in direct proximity, sharing a very close space with possible exposure to saliva or respiratory secretions when coughing or spitting.

According to WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier, transmission necessitates proximity akin to being "practically face-to-face" or sharing a very confined space where exposure to an infected person's saliva or respiratory droplets during coughing or sneezing is possible. This detailed explanation aims to demystify the transmission pathway and highlight the specific conditions required for infection.

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even in cases of people who have shared a cabin on the affected ship, there have been situations where one got infected and another did not, which shows that the general risk remains very low.

Lindmeier further stressed the low overall risk, noting that even in situations where individuals shared cabins on the affected vessel, not everyone contracted the virus. He explicitly stated, "It is not a new COVID," and underscored that hantavirus's transmission capability is considerably lower than highly contagious diseases like measles. This comparison serves to reassure the public that the situation is contained and does not pose a widespread threat, a perspective that may differ from the immediate alarmist reactions sometimes seen in global media.

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It is not a new COVID, the risk to the population is absolutely low.