Hantavirus Suspected in Deadly Cruise Ship Outbreak; What Treasure Coast Residents Should Know

A suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard a Dutch cruise ship has killed three people and sickened others off the coast of West Africa, raising questions that Treasure Coast families returning from sea voyages — or simply cleaning out a garage shed — should be asking about a rare but often deadly rodent-borne disease.

The World Health Organization said Sunday that investigations are ongoing, including laboratory testing, epidemiological tracing and genetic sequencing of the virus. No Florida cases have been linked to the outbreak, according to public records, but hantavirus is not unknown in the United States. The behaviors that expose people to it are common nationwide, including in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties.

Hantavirus spreads primarily through contact with infected rodents or their urine, saliva or droppings — particularly when confined spaces are disturbed and particles become airborne. Storage sheds, cabins and poorly ventilated garages are classic exposure sites. The CDC began tracking the virus after a 1993 outbreak in the Four Corners region of the American Southwest. U.S. cases remain most concentrated in New Mexico and Arizona.

The disease is deceptive in its early stages. "Early in the illness, you really may not be able to tell the difference between hantavirus and having the flu," said Dr. Sonja Bartolome of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Symptoms — fever, chills, muscle aches and headache — typically appear one to eight weeks after exposure. But as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe lung infection, progresses, fluid fills the lungs and the disease becomes life-threatening fast. The CDC reports hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is fatal in about 35% of infected patients. A second form, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, a kidney-damaging illness, carries a death rate of one to 15%, depending on the specific virus strain.

There is no approved treatment or cure. Early hospitalization improves survival odds, but Michelle Harkins, a pulmonologist at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center who has studied hantavirus for years, said fundamental questions remain — including why the disease is mild in some patients and catastrophic in others.

Prevention is the only reliable defense. Public health officials advise wearing gloves and using a bleach solution to clean areas with rodent droppings. Sweeping or vacuuming should be avoided — both can launch viral particles into breathing air. Residents with concerns about rodent activity in enclosed spaces on their property should contact the St. Lucie County Health Department or Martin County's environmental services line for guidance.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.