Bill Gates-backed vaccine group warned hantavirus ‘could be next pandemic’

A health organisation linked to Bill Gates’ foundation warned years ago about the growing danger posed by hantaviruses.

Five cases linked to the MV Hondius ship have been confirmed as the rat-borne hantavirus, believed to have been picked up by a Dutch couple who later died from the disease at a landfill site in Argentina during a bird-watching trip.  

With health officials from around the world tracing contacts of people who disembarked the cruise earlier, the number is feared to rise as the incubation time for the deadly illness could be up to eight weeks.  

Follow the latest updates about the hantavirus outbreak here 

In May 2021, with the world still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, a global health body called Gavi spoke about the potential of hantavirus to develop into a pandemic.

In an article posted on its VaccineWork platform, its experts asked whether some person-to-person transmissions warranted fear for their pandemic potential.

Gavi, the vaccine alliance, has received billions of dollars from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help research and develop immunisations.  

While it said that the pandemic threat level of hantavirus was deemed ‘low,’ hantaviruses generally were becoming ‘an increasing concern.’  

Gavi said the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) has become endemic across the North and South Americas, and a type known as Andes virus – the strain which caused the cruise ship outbreak – was of ‘particular concern in Chile and Argentina.’

It said the combination of its long incubation period and the emergence of new strains of the disease means that hantaviruses are becoming an increasing concern.’

What is hantavirus?

Hantaviruses are a family of rodent-borne viruses, with each strain tied to a specific host species.

It’s spread when people come into contact with infected droppings, saliva, urine or nesting materials, but is extremely rare, and rarely passed from person to person.

If caught, hantavirus can lead to two main illnesses, one of which affects the lungs (Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome or HPS) and the other which affects the kidneys (Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome or HFRS).

The incubation period for this illness is generally two to four weeks, according to the government, but can range from as little as two days to as long as eight weeks.

What are the symptoms?

Early symptoms of hantavirus are similar to the flu, and include headaches, dizziness, chills as well as abdominal problems like diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea.

If it progresses into Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, patients can experience headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.

If you develop Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome, initial symptoms will include intense headaches, back and abdominal pain, fever or chills, nausea, and blurred vision.

If the disease progresses, later symptoms include low blood pressure, acute shock (lack of blood flow), internal bleeding, and acute kidney failure, according to the CDC.

Hantavirus can be fatal, so it’s important to keep an eye on symptoms if you believe you’ve been exposed. There is currently no cure for the disease.

‘Similarly, epidemics of person-to-person transmission of the Andes virus in Argentina and Chile indicate it can evolve to sustain human-to-human transmission,’ the piece said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and experts have insisted that the hantavirus outbreak is not like the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove of the WHO said: ‘This is not SARS-CoV two, this is not the start of a Covid pandemic – this is an outbreak that we see on a ship, there is a confined area.’  

Pharmacist Thorrun Govind told Metro that it is ‘very rare’ for hantavirus to spread from person to person, adding that this is ‘not like Covid or flu.’

All eyes are following the movements of the MV Hondius Antarctic cruise after cases of hantavirus broke out, leading to the deaths of three people and a scramble to evacuate other cases as the doomed ship sails towards the Canary Islands.

However, protesters in Tenerife are up in arms about the possibility of MV Hondius docking on the island on Sunday.

Crowds with banners reading ‘we are not second-class’ demonstrated against the ship’s planned arrival at the Tenerife port.

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