WHO: No Reasons for Hantavirus Outbreak to Become an Epidemic Like COVID-19
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
GENEVA – The World Health Organization (WHO) stated on Thursday that there are no reasons for the hantavirus outbreak reported on a cruise ship to escalate into a major epidemic, nor can it be compared to the emergence of COVID-19. "This is not coronavirus; this is a very different virus that has been around for a while, and we know it. So I want to be clear, this is not the start of a pandemic like COVID. It is an outbreak on a ship, in a confined area with five confirmed cases so far," said Maria Van Kerkhove, the acting director of the WHO's Health Emergency Prevention and Preparedness Department. She added that hantavirus is transmitted very differently from the coronavirus that caused the pandemic six years ago, through close and intimate contact, while COVID-19 spreads via respiratory transmission. Abdirahman Mohamud, head of the WHO's Health Emergency Operations Department, recalled that the current situation is similar to one that occurred in Argentina in 2018-2019, which ended with 34 infections.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
