How Long Does It Take To Get Hantavirus If You've Been Exposed?

An expert breaks down what we should know about the virus' incubation period.

Trends Reporter, The Huffington Post

As more information continues to unfold surrounding the outbreak of hantavirus aboard a cruise ship, questions about the rare virus continue to arise – including curiosity around how long it takes for symptoms to show up if someone has contracted the illness.

Three passengers aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship have died, and several others were sickened amid the outbreak of the rare family of viruses, most commonly contracted by exposure to rodent urine, droppings or saliva.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Wednesday that there were a total of eight either confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus. Officials have also confirmed that patients tested positive for the Andes strain of the virus.

“There are over 20 different types of hantaviruses, which are typically spread to humans after inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings,” said Kari Moore Debbink, a teaching professor in the department of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

“Andes is the only type of hantavirus that has been documented to transmit human-to-human with close contact and exposure to bodily fluids,”........

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