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

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

Although COVID-19 began with a overseas strain and dispersed rapidly astir the world, experts accidental it’s not apt that hantavirus volition behave the aforesaid way.

The uncommon Andes virus, which was linked to the MV Hondius cruise vessel outbreak, is the lone known hantavirus strain that has the capableness to dispersed from idiosyncratic to person, usually done prolonged adjacent contact.

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Fox News elder aesculapian expert Dr. Marc Siegel spoke with Fox News Digital astir the similarities and differences betwixt hantavirus and coronavirus, noting that determination is "no comparison."

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

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

Coronavirus was antithetic due to the fact that it began to mutate, which started to origin "all kinds of problems," Siegel noted.

"We don't cognize wherefore it started to mutate, but this 1 doesn't look to person done that," helium said. "And each time that goes by seems to amusement that mentation is close – the genetics of it is the same."

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

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

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

"It's not airborne ... successful presumption of respiratory droplets hanging successful the air," helium said. "It's precise hard to transmit."

While coronavirus "moved successful the absorption of humans successful a important way," hantavirus has not, but for "very rare" human-to-human transmission, according to the doctor.

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There person been hantavirus cases successful the 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 the doctor.

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The existent outbreak stemming from the cruise vessel did not assistance the cause, Siegel went connected — but this dispersed doesn’t suggest that the microorganism has changed. Rather, it shows however adjacent quarters connected a vessel are "very conducive" to spread, helium said.

Passengers disembark from the hantavirus-stricken cruise vessel MV Hondius astatine the 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," helium reiterated.

The amended examination to marque is betwixt hantavirus and vertebrate 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 speech astir however it's going to origin a pandemic, but it would person to mutate significantly," helium pointed out. "I consciousness that [hantavirus] would person to mutate importantly earlier it could spell quality to quality successful immoderate important way, due to the fact that this is fundamentally an carnal microorganism … it's precise comfy wrong a rodent host."

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

A idiosyncratic visits a COVID investigating 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 planetary pandemic whitethorn beryllium looming, Siegel said that conscionable due to the fact that 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," helium said. "I'm overmuch much acrophobic astir flu than this. Flu tin mutate each the time, and it's already going quality to quality each implicit the place, and it’s airborne."

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"Most infectious illness specialists are overmuch much disquieted astir flu than this, arsenic deadly arsenic this tin be," helium added.

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

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