While we should strive not to “demonize” any one country or area, with any naming convention for a potential viral epidemic — facts are facts.
This current strain of hantavirus is propagated human to human, more than occasionally without prolonged close contact, it seems — based on the case histories of the Hondius cruise vessel passengers. And it is pretty darn lethal, if not treated promptly. And… there is no proven mRNA or other vaccine — for this particular strain at the moment.
All of which, taken together… leads me to propose that it be called the Andes-virus H. It is as different as different can be, from the North and Central American Hantavirus (and from the Chinese version). [This naming idea is roughly akin to the Mpox more dangerous version being called Clade 1b, as opposed to Clade 2.] The mis-information, out of one Houston doctor — carried by a Houston TV station on Monday… has me thinking this way. I won’t link him, but he made a lot of statements about New Mexico/Texas style hanta- — essentially poo-pooing the danger of human to human transmission. He is badly mis-informed. And the TV news just ran with it.
While there are only a handful of US cases of the Andes-virus H., at the moment… his comments are singularly unhelpful. Here is a better assessment, from a different US doctor:
…Public health officials emphasize hantavirus rarely spreads between people. It is typically contracted when people accidentally inhale the virus found in rodent waste during routine activities like sweeping, cleaning infested spaces or sleeping around contaminated areas. [That is still true.]
However, the type involved in the Hondius outbreak, according to the World Health Organization, is the Andes virus, the only known hantavirus to spread between people.
It’s endemic to South America. A 2018 hantavirus outbreak in Argentina killed 11 people after the disease spread at crowded events, leading to 34 infections….
This strain is far more transmissible than the New Mexico, Texas, or so-called “Four Corners area” hantavirus. Trust that.
And know that a name… carries power. Trust that, as well — we need to distinguish between the New Mexico version and the Andean / Argentine one. Onward.
नमस्ते
Powerline Lies... 