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Survivor Shares Hantavirus Fear After Cruise Outbreak
11 May
Summary
- Hantavirus can have a fatality rate up to 38% depending on the syndrome.
- The virus is spread through exposure to rodent droppings, urine, or saliva.
- WHO assesses the public health risk of the current cruise ship outbreak as low.
A hantavirus survivor from over 30 years ago is speaking out following a recent cruise ship outbreak. Shaina Montiel's harrowing childhood experience with the virus, which has a potential fatality rate of up to 38%, serves as a stark reminder of its severity.
Montiel was initially diagnosed with the flu, but her symptoms rapidly worsened, including severe fatigue and hemorrhaging. Doctors could only provide supportive care as her body fought the virus, a process her mother described as miraculous upon her recovery.
While the recent cruise ship incident has brought hantavirus into international headlines, health officials, including the World Health Organization, assess the current public health risk as low. They emphasize that this outbreak is not the start of a pandemic.
Hantavirus is primarily contracted through exposure to infected rodents' droppings, saliva, or urine. Montiel suspects she contracted it playing outdoors, underscoring the importance of awareness regarding potential environmental exposure.
Montiel's survival and subsequent sharing of her story aim to provide perspective, balancing the gravity of hantavirus infections with reassurance against widespread panic and speculation of a pandemic.
