Note: We’ve added this section because we are getting LOTS of questions about hantavirus, NOT because we think this is a high risk for our readers. Don’t panic!
There is a ton of breathless news coverage out there about hantavirus right now, and trust in public health and the government is at an all-time low, so we understand your concerns. But there’s good news: the very best infectious disease experts are all over this, at the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska, at a specialized biocontainment unit in Atlanta, and at the federal and state levels.
It’s true that there’s an ongoing debate about how long to force this group of 18 Americans to quarantine in these specialized facilities. The average incubation period for this virus is anywhere from 14-42 days, but there’s some evidence that it can take up to 8 weeks. Regardless, it’s a long time to force someone who has just been through this wild ordeal to stay isolated in a single room in Nebraska, separated from their life and loved ones.
Some experts are advocating for keeping them there for a full 42 days. It’s certainly the safest option to prevent any possibility of transmission. Others think the risk is low if, after an initial health assessment, these passengers are released to quarantine in their own homes, where they’ll be more comfortable. They’ll take private charter flights, ensure they’re near a hospital that can provide intensive care (and isolate them properly) if they develop symptoms, and check in with health departments daily. In fact, that’s already what’s happening with the 7 Americans who were on the boat when the first passenger died, but disembarked before the outbreak was declared, and the 11 Americans who were within 2 rows of a sick patient on a plane.
If you live in a community (like the Bay Area in California) where there’s already someone who was onboard quarantining at home, or if a neighbor ends up being released from the National Quarantine Unit to home-quarantine near you, don’t panic. They are being monitored very closely by public health officials, and aren’t leaving their homes.
It’s important to reiterate that this virus isn’t like COVID or measles. It doesn’t spread between people very easily through the air, and it’s not super-duper contagious. In the outbreak we know of in Argentina, one person passed it to 5 people at a party, including someone with potentially brief contact, but there were 94 people at the party. To put it in perspective, if hantavirus were as contagious as measles, it would have been closer to 90 people sick rather than 5.
At the end of the day, there are only a handful of Americans quarantining at home right now, and none have symptoms. If the 16 or so passengers that have tested negative and have no symptoms end up being released to quarantine at home, it’s no reason to panic, even if they live nearby. They’re in great hands, they’re being carefully monitored, and they pose no risk to the public if they stay home as instructed.
Sources: YLE, CNN, NY Times, LA Times
We are really enjoying the newsletter of Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS news medical contributor and Editor-at-Large for public health for KFF Health News. She appears here on CNN, and while she shares good updates about hantavirus itself, we’re most interested in her comments about how the lack of federal leadership is fueling public fear “far beyond what the science warrants.”
