Hantavirus is not a COVID-19 sequel.

Infectious disease experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who refer to the outbreak on the cruise ship that’s been in the news as the Andes virus, describe the risk to the American public as “extremely low” because it is not spread as easily from person-to-person as the coronavirus.

“Routine travel can continue as normal,” the CDC said.

Colorado health officials said they are actively monitoring the outbreak through international and federal public health networks.

Dr. Rachel Herlihy, the state epidemiologist, and other state health officials routinely participate in World Health Organization Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network meetings, said Hope Shuler, a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) spokesperson. Recently the team received updates on the hantavirus response efforts.

No known cases of Andes virus have been reported in the United States.

In Colorado, the most significant hantavirus is the Sin Nombre virus, which can also cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, according to CDPHE. Most people become infected after inhaling aerosolized virus particles from deer mice urine, feces or saliva.

Hantavirus infections in Colorado remain relatively rare, typically totaling only a few cases annually, though the illness can be deadly.

State health officials said they have not received any information from the CDC indicating that Colorado residents were among the passengers aboard the cruise ship or on affected commercial flights.

The Andes virus is the only type of hantavirus known to spread person-to-person, usually through close contact with an individual with symptoms.

A type of hantavirus spread by rodents in South America, the Andes virus can cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), a severe respiratory disease and death in humans.

Early symptoms can include fatigue, fever and muscle aches (particularly larger muscle groups like the thighs, hips and back). About half of patients also experience headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal issues such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Symptoms typically appear between four to 42 days after exposure.

Generally, people are only infectious while symptomatic.

Roughly four in 10 people who develop respiratory symptoms may die from the disease.

There is no treatment for a hantavirus infection. 

To avoid spreading the Andes virus, wash hands frequently, refrain from kissing and sexual contact with someone who is infected, and avoid sharing drinks, cigarettes and eating utensils.

Human exposure comes from contact with infected rodents’ urine, droppings and saliva in areas where the disease is active. Or from direct physical contact with an infected individual, such as exposure to saliva, respiratory secretions or other bodily fluids.

COVID-19, on the other hand, spreads primarily through tiny airborne particles expelled when an infected person breathes, talks, coughs or sneezes. Because the virus was novel — meaning humans had little to no existing immunity — it spread rapidly across the globe after emerging in late 2019.

While diseases such as measles are even more contagious, COVID-19 proved highly efficient at spreading person-to-person, fueled by international travel and asymptomatic transmission. The virus overwhelmed hospitals, shuttered schools and businesses, disrupted economies and altered daily life worldwide.

About 1.2 million people in the U.S. have died of COVID-19, according to the CDC. In Colorado, that number is more than 16,000, according to state data.

The hantavirus disease nabbed headlines earlier this month when three passengers aboard a Dutch cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean died. As of Tuesday, there are 11 confirmed cases.

The latest confirmed hantavirus case among passengers was quarantined at a military hospital in Madrid.

“At the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.