• UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    It wasn’t the Spanish Flu even at its worst (roughly a third the mortality rate with a much faster and farther reach absent any properly quarantining).

    Much like with the AIDS epidemic or the Ebola outbreak, Hauntavirus has a slower rate of spread and avoidable vector for transmission, but a significantly higher mortality rate.

    It’s scary for different reasons.

    • WoodScientist@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Much like with the AIDS epidemic or the Ebola outbreak, Hauntavirus has a slower rate of spread and avoidable vector for transmission, but a significantly higher mortality rate.

      You sure you’re not talking about regular hantavirus? Most strains can’t transmit from person to person; they require vectors such as mice and other rodents. But the variant people are worried about is capable of spreading directly from person to person. Cruise ships and plains may make it easy to transmit viruses that require close personal contact. But they’re not exactly known for their rodent infestations.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        But the variant people are worried about is capable of spreading directly from person to person.

        Based on early investigations by health officials in May 2026, passengers on the cruise ship likely contracted hantavirus (specifically the Andes virus) through an initial, pre-boarding exposure to rodent droppings in South America

        The ship itself is not seeing any cases between passengers, at least as far as I’ve seen in reports