Rising temperatures, flooding, habitat disruption, and rodent migration are being linked to increasing hantavirus outbreaks and expanding public health concerns.
- Argentina has reported a sharp rise in hantavirus cases and deaths during the current season
- Experts say climate change, flooding, habitat destruction, and warming temperatures may be the cause
- WHO is monitoring the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak linked to Andes hantavirus
Hantavirus outbreaks are once again drawing international attention after a rise in infections and deaths in Argentina, along with an outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius.
Health experts now warn that climate change and environmental disruption may be playing an increasing role in the spread of rodent-borne diseases.
Recent scientific reviews suggest that climate-sensitive factors, such as rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, biodiversity disruption, habitat richness, food availability, and rodent population dynamics, may significantly influence hantavirus outbreaks and transmission risk (1✔ ✔Trusted Source
Robust data integration methods for understanding associations between climate change and hantavirus infection in Europe are needed: A systematic-narrative hybrid literature review
Go to source).
Researchers warn that climate change may alter both rodent behavior and human exposure patterns, increasing the likelihood of outbreaks in previously low-risk regions (2✔ ✔Trusted Source
A pan-European assessment of multi-sector drivers of human hantavirus risk: climate, biodiversity, and socio-economic factors as key determinants
Go to source).
Why Are Experts Linking Climate Change to Hantavirus?
Hantavirus is primarily spread through exposure to infected rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. However, experts say climate change is altering the environmental conditions that influence rodent populations and human exposure.
According to Argentina’s Health Ministry, rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, droughts, flooding, wildfires, and habitat destruction are contributing to the appearance of cases outside historically endemic areas.
Experts say warmer temperatures may allow rodents to survive and reproduce more efficiently, increasing their population density over time.
Physicians explain that global warming is creating conditions favorable for rodents to expand into areas where they were previously less common.
Floods and ecological disruption may further increase the risk of rodents entering human settlements, increasing opportunities for virus transmission.
How Do Rodents and Environmental Changes Increase Infection Risk?
Hantaviruses naturally circulate among rodents without causing major illness in the animals themselves. Humans usually become infected after inhaling virus particles from contaminated rodent droppings, saliva, or urine.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that activities such as cleaning poorly ventilated areas, farming, forestry work, or staying in rodent-infested environments can increase exposure risk (3✔ ✔Trusted Source
Hantavirus
Go to source).
Environmental studies show that changing ecosystems can directly affect:
- Rodent breeding cycles
- Food availability for rodents
- Rodent migration patterns
- Viral survival outside the host
- Human exposure to contaminated environments
A review in One Health Outlook reported that warmer temperatures, increased rainfall, and changing ecological conditions may improve rodent winter survival and increase viral persistence in the environment (4✔ ✔Trusted Source
Ecological determinants driving orthohantavirus prevalence in small mammals of Europe: a systematic review
Go to source
).
Researchers also noted that forest fragmentation, biodiversity loss, habitat encroachment, and extreme weather events may expand the geographical spread of infected rodents into newer regions.
A recent review further explained that climate change may influence hantavirus transmission through multiple pathways involving rodent ecology, vegetation patterns, food resources, landscape changes, and human behavior.
What Is Happening on the MV Hondius Cruise Ship?
The current international concern intensified after multiple hantavirus infections were reported among passengers linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius.
According to WHO and international health authorities:
- Eight probable cases have been reported onboard
- Five infections were laboratory confirmed
- Three deaths have occurred
- The outbreak has been linked to the Andes strain of hantavirus
The Andes strain is unusual because limited human-to-human transmission has occasionally been documented during close and prolonged contact. However, WHO says the overall public health risk currently remains low.
The outbreak involved passengers who had traveled through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay before boarding the ship. The Dutch couple believed to be associated with the outbreak later died after developing infection.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also issued a rare public reassurance message before the ship’s arrival in Tenerife, emphasizing that “this is not another COVID-19.”
Why Is Argentina Seeing More Cases This Year?
Argentina’s outbreak pattern appears to be changing geographically as well.
Most recent infections have been reported in central Argentina, especially Buenos Aires province, which alone recorded 42 cases this season.
Historically, hantavirus outbreaks were more strongly associated with Patagonia and southern regions. However, experts now believe climate-driven environmental shifts may be changing rodent distribution patterns and expanding high-risk zones.
Researchers say droughts, intense rainfall, changing vegetation patterns, forest fires, and ecosystem disruption can alter rodent habitats and food availability, increasing movement into human-populated areas.
Scientists also warn that the relationship between climate and hantavirus transmission is highly complex because it involves interactions between:
- Rodent ecology
- Human behavior
- Environmental conditions
- Biodiversity changes
- Socioeconomic factors
A pan-European assessment identified maximum temperature, habitat richness, changes in biodiversity, and socioeconomic conditions as among the strongest predictors of hantavirus risk.
How Is India Responding to the Outbreak?
India’s Union Health Ministry has activated precautionary surveillance measures following the cruise ship outbreak.
The Ministry is coordinating with:
- National Center for Disease Control (NCDC)
- Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP)
- WHO
- International health authorities
Officials stated that two Indian nationals onboard the vessel remain asymptomatic and are under observation under international health protocols.
The Public Health Emergency Operations Center under NCDC also convened a high-level review meeting to assess preparedness measures and monitor developments.
WHO continues to emphasize that although human-to-human spread of the Andes virus can occur, transmission generally requires close and prolonged exposure and is far less contagious than respiratory pandemic viruses such as COVID-19.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is hantavirus?
A: Hantavirus is a rodent-borne viral infection that can cause severe respiratory or kidney-related disease in humans.
Q: How do people get infected with hantavirus?
A: Most infections occur through contact with contaminated rodent urine, droppings, or saliva.
Q: Can climate change increase hantavirus risk?
A: Experts say climate change may alter rodent habitats, increase rodent populations, and raise human exposure risk.
Q: Can hantavirus spread between humans?
A: Limited human-to-human transmission has been documented only with Andes virus during close prolonged contact.
Q: Is India monitoring the current outbreak?
A: Yes. India’s Health Ministry, NCDC, and IDSP are monitoring the situation in coordination with WHO and international authorities.
References:
- Robust data integration methods for understanding associations between climate change and hantavirus infection in Europe are needed: A systematic-narrative hybrid literature review – (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010026000806)
- A pan-European assessment of multi-sector drivers of human hantavirus risk: climate, biodiversity, and socio-economic factors as key determinants – (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935126006122)
- Hantavirus – (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hantavirus)
- Ecological determinants driving orthohantavirus prevalence in small mammals of Europe: a systematic review – (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11938672/)
Source-Medindia