The head of the World Health Organization has warned countries to prepare for more hantavirus cases after the outbreak onboard the MV Hondius, and thanked Spain for the “compassion and solidarity” it had shown by taking in the stricken cruise ship and evacuating its passengers and crew.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to follow the WHO’s advice and recommendations, which include a 42-day quarantine and constant monitoring of high-risk contacts.

“At the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak, but of course the situation could change and, given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks,” he told a press conference in Madrid on Tuesday.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
    366·
    6 days ago

    At the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak

    I’d fucking hope so…

    If we see signs of a larger outbteak, it’s already too late. This has 40% mortality rate under the best conditions when dealing with isolated cases, and an R factor over two (1 is where its infectious enough to cause wifescale problems)

    This is like Y2k all over again. We need to take it seriously and if we do a bunch of idiots will think that means we didn’t need to.

    But if we let the idiots win and don’t take it seriously, then we’re all fucked

    I’ll never understand why the idiots get so fucking triggered that someone else is worried about something and trying to protect them.

    If people don’t think this is a big deal and there’s no reason for anyone to worry, then they can just ignore the entire thing on a personal level.

    Instead they feel insulted if anyone disagrees with them, because that’s what idiots do.

    They don’t care about if they’re right, they just get mad if anyone disagrees with them about anything.

    • Banana@sh.itjust.works
      374·
      6 days ago

      Hantavirus is not nearly as contagious as something like COVID and requires close, prolonged contact and sharing of respiratory secretions or saliva to spread. Its important to be wary of hantavirus, but the best thing you can do instead of panicking is to educate yourself on it.

      Ever swept your garage? You were putting yourself at risk for hantavirus. A lot of people don’t know this. Read up on the way it spreads and where it originates (usually rodent droppings – it’s no surprise this happened on a cruise ship as they are pretty well known vectors of disease), and how to properly deal with things like that.

      I understand why you feel worried and that is valid, but channel that energy into educating yourself and those in your circles so you’re prepared.

    • YoureHotCupCake@lemmy.world
      31·
      6 days ago

      Shouldn’t a mask be extremely effective against this virus? So it should be easy to protect yourself I would think.

      It will probably also be a form of natural selection for those that refuse to wear one.

      • MML@sh.itjust.works
        4·
        6 days ago

        I think even basic hygiene would be pretty effective against the virus, IDK doesn’t seem like the “next COVID” even if we should do what we can to prevent it.

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
        15·
        6 days ago

        Any mask is better than no mask…

        But look at the type the WHO was wearing (full on body suits), or the plastic “iron lung” tents the Spanish are using when someone pops positive.

        I really don’t know if COVID era masks would do anything or not.

        It’ll be like COVID at best, where wearing a mask doesn’t prevent you from being infected, but a mask drastically reduces who you infect.

        So, masks would only work if everyone is wearing them. One asymptomatic idiot that refuses to even get tested would infect everyone they walk past.

        • YoureHotCupCake@lemmy.world
          3·
          6 days ago

          Well yeah I would expect the WHO doctors to take every precaution they can especially because they are the ones studying it. But from my understanding this virus spreads through saliva and small liquid particles that are expelled from talking, coughing, or sneezing. I would think that a mask would help a ton in preventing these liquid particles from entering your system. You would also want to wash your hands frequently too especially before eating.

          • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
            13·
            6 days ago

            But from my understanding this virus spreads through saliva and small liquid particles that are expelled from talking, coughing, or sneezing.

            …

            You mean like COVID?

            Or literally every respiratory infection?

            If a group is all wearing masks, no one is exhaling breath with those droplets, and everyone is safe.

            If only infected people wear a mask, everyone is safe.

            If a single infected person doesn’t wear a mask, they can infect people still wearing masks.

            Rather than try to explain the details, think of your eyeballs, if an infected person breath lands on your eyeballs, how does a mask protect you?

            If the viral load they’re shedding lands on your face, hands, literally anything besides the inside of your nose or mouth, what do you think happens to it?

            Masks work by preventing it from coming out of an infected person’s face holes, it doesn’t magically form a bubble around a healthy person making them immune…

            • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.caEnglish
              4·
              6 days ago

              Rather than try to explain the details, think of your eyeballs, if an infected person breath lands on your eyeballs, how does a mask protect you?

              I’m not going to counter this stupid self-research argument from 2020, but respiratory viruses only infect cell types with the correct receptors, found in the airway.

              Medical professionals, who know what they are doing and are educated, wear masks. It’s not cosplay.

            • YoureHotCupCake@lemmy.world
              2·
              6 days ago

              Got it so I will need goggles, a mask, and frequently washing my hands/exposed skin. While this might not be perfect its better than going without.

              I get what you are saying that infected people are the ones that need to wear masks to prevent this from spreading but I do not have control over what other people are doing and can only control what actions I make, and I would like to take precautions if this starts getting worse.