Hantavirus vaccine efforts lagged for years amid funding gaps — NYT
Lack of funding has slowed progress on a hantavirus vaccine for years (photo: Getty Images)
Vaccines and treatments for hantavirus, an outbreak of which was recorded aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, are still being developed. Research efforts have faced years of funding shortages, according to The New York Times.
The media reports there is currently no approved treatment for hantavirus, nor are there any widely available vaccines to fight the disease.
As a result, doctors had few effective tools to help when passengers aboard began falling ill in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Vaithi Arumugaswami, an infectious disease researcher at the University of California, said the situation was a "wake-up call," as the healthcare system effectively has no ready-made solutions for combating the virus.
This is reportedly due to limited funding, since the virus rarely infects humans. Some scientific teams have already spent decades working on treatments and vaccines for hantavirus, which, if fighting the virus became a higher priority, "could be moved through the pipeline rapidly."
The outlet notes that there are two main types of hantaviruses: Old World viruses, which circulate primarily in Asia and Europe, and New World viruses, which are found in the Americas. The outbreak on the cruise ship is linked to a New World hantavirus known as the Andes virus.
Doctors say vaccines exist against some Old World hantaviruses, but their effectiveness is moderate. There are currently no licensed vaccines for New World hantaviruses.
Scientists are now conducting studies on hamsters to develop an effective vaccine. However, according to the report, researchers lack real-world hantavirus infections in large animals, while human cases are "rare enough to make trials tricky."
Hantavirus outbreak
Following reports of fatal hantavirus infections among passengers aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, the world has once again turned its attention to the rare but dangerous disease. Hantavirus can cause severe lung or kidney damage and, in some cases, death.
The cruise ship was forced to stop near the coast of Cape Verde after a hantavirus outbreak that has already claimed at least three lives.
According to media reports, one laboratory-confirmed case has been identified on board, while five additional cases remain under suspicion.
The cruise departed Argentina on March 20 and was scheduled to conclude on May 4. Around 150 passengers were on board at the time of the incident.
The first victim was a 70-year-old Dutch citizen who became ill and died. Later, his 69-year-old wife also died in a hospital in Johannesburg while preparations were underway for evacuation. The third victim, also a Dutch citizen, remains aboard the vessel.
All passengers aboard the ship where the deadly hantavirus outbreak occurred are considered to have been in contact with infected individuals.
Media outlets also reported that dozens of potentially infected passengers from the MV Hondius had already returned to their home countries before the hantavirus outbreak was identified. They reportedly did not undergo medical examinations.
Today, the ship arrived at the port of Tenerife. Spanish medical teams boarded the vessel to conduct a final inspection before passengers began disembarking.
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