The latest case of a Canadian passenger testing positive shows the hantavirus outbreak isn’t over yet. We can probably expect more cases, given the long incubation period of this infection.

More than 120 passengers from the stricken cruise ship MV Hondius are now being monitored in their home regions, including five Australians and a New Zealander who will remain in quarantine for three weeks in a facility near Perth.

But while caution is still needed, the outbreak is likely to be contained and provides a vivid reminder of the importance of a globally coordinated response to such pandemic threats.

The parallels with the start of the COVID pandemic are obvious. The Andes hantavirus shares a number of frightening features that have understandably raised fears across the globe.

It originated from an animal-human spillover, it can spread from person to person and a cruise ship had an amplifying effect.

Its ability for animal-to-human (zoonotic) transmission from its natural rodent reservoir to unsuspecting tourists makes the hantavirus an unpredictable threat.

The animal-human spillover capability has been observed with multiple hantavirus species that occasionally infect people across the Americas, Europe and Asia. What distinguishes the Andes virus is its ability for person-to-person transmission. This is a critical feature needed to start a pandemic.

Its other alarming characteristics are the........

© The Conversation