two thousand and twenty-sixyearfivemoontwoOn the same day, the World Health Organization reported that a polar exploration cruise ship named "Hondius" had an outbreak of Hantavirus infection. The ship isfourmoononeSetting sail from Argentina, planned to cross the Atlantic to Antarctica and Cape Verde, carrying passengers fromtwenty-threeThe country's agreementone hundred and fiftyPeople.

fourmoonsixOn the day, the first case appeared;fourmoonelevenOn the day, the first person died. as offivemoonelevenDaily, jointly reportednineConfirmed casesthreeExample of death.fourmoontwenty-fourOn the day,thirtyPeople areSaint HelenaUpon disembarking, one of the individuals tested positive for COVID-19; in additionthreeA patient was taken off the ship for treatment near Cape Verde. Subsequently, neighboring countries successively refused requests to dock. untilfivemoononeThe World Health Organization intervened and ultimatelyfivemoontenJapan is allowed to dock on the island of Tenerife in Spain. All personnel will be transferred through a 'contactless mode', with each country arranging their own quarantine and accepting a period of quarantineforty-twoThe health tracking of the sky.

The Hongdius polar exploration cruise ship

Cruise ships stranded at sea, multiple countries shut out, passengers scattered around the world——This scene is reminiscent of the darkest moment of the Diamond Princess.two thousand and twentyyearonemoontwentyDay, carryingthree thousand seven hundred and elevenPeople, fromfiftyThe "Diamond Princess" from multiple countries set sail from Yokohama. fromtwomoononeThe first case of COVID-19 was confirmed on January 1threemoononeThe last batch of personnel left the ship on the day, with a cumulative diagnosisseven hundred and twenty-oneExample: DeaththirteenExample. That epidemic became a classic example of the virus spreading rapidly in a closed and international environment.

This time, it was not COVID-19 that caused panic, but a virus that had existed for more than half a centuryOld rival "- Hantavirus. It is estimated that there are approximatelytwentyWan Hantan virus infection case. Since that's the case, why is the cruise epidemic still causing such a huge sensation?

Diamond Princess cruise ship

To understand this anomaly, we need to trace back to the history of the discovery of Hantavirus.

one thousand nine hundred and fifty-oneIn the spring of the year, the Korean Peninsula approached the north latitudethirty-eightAt the Du line, a group of unexplained febrile hemorrhagic disease patients appeared in the United Nations forces, known as“Korean hemorrhagic fever”. Toone thousand nine hundred and fifty-threeThe end of the New Year's War has already surpassedthree thousandHuman infection with a mortality rate of up to10%–14.6%The cases are concentrated in the Hantan River basin, hence the name of the virus. Afterwards, the wholetwenty-sevenDue to technological limitations, scientists have been unable to isolate the pathogen——The virus is extremely unstable at room temperature and must be operated in a biosafety level three laboratory. untilone thousand nine hundred and seventy-eightIn, Professor Li Haowang's team from Seoul National University in South Korea successfully isolated the virus for the first time from the lung tissue of local black striped mice, and officially named it“Hantan virus”(now commonly known as“Hantavirus”）And confirmed that the black striped mouse is its natural host.

Hantavirus under enhanced microscope

Since then, more strains have been discovered worldwide.one thousand nine hundred and eightytoone thousand nine hundred and ninetyIn the era, it was discovered in East Asia that brown rats carried“Seoul virus ”；one thousand nine hundred and ninety-threeIn the year, the southwestern United States“Four Corner Region”The host of the outbreak is deer mice“New Norovirus”Separated from South America with rare interpersonal transmission ability“Andes virus”Europe has also confirmed the Pumala virus in Northern Europe and the Dobrava virus in Central Europe.

Hantavirus belongs to the Bunyavirales class, Hantaviridae family, and Hantavirus genus, and is a single stranded negative chain virusRNAvirus Currently discoveredtwentyMultiple strains that can cause human diseases. Regarding its origin, traditional theories suggest that viruses and rodents diverged together for millions of years; Modern phylogenetic analysis suggests that the evolutionary history of Hantavirus is much more complex than previously speculated, and its host spectrum may be more extensive than previously understood.

Evacuation of passengers on the "Hongdius" cruise ship

Hantavirus is mainly transmitted through inhalation of aerosols formed from the excrement of infected rodents, and can also be spread through contaminated food, contact with damaged skin, or rodent bites. The vast majority of strains do not have the ability to be transmitted from person to person, but the Andean virus in South America is an exception and can achieve human to human transmission under extremely limited conditions.

The symptoms after infection vary depending on the strain, mainly divided into two clinical types: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome prevalent in Eurasia, with a mortality rate of approximately5%–15%Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is prevalent in the Americas, has a dangerous course and a high mortality rate30%–60%.

In terms of treatment,RibavirinOnly shows limited antiviral effect in the early stages of fever, with no significant effect in the later stages. At present, there is no widely validated specific antiviral drug, and modern medicine mainly focuses on symptomatic supportive treatment.

In terms of vaccines, China successfully developed and launched inactivated vaccines for hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome against Hantan virus and Seoul virus in the 1990s, which have been included in the national expanded immunization plan. This vaccine is administered during vaccination10–20After the year, it can still maintain a certain protective effect, and even some studies have observed itthirtyImmune memory after years. However, it requires three doses of vaccination, and the neutralizing antibody conversion rate is not ideal, and it cannot induce a strong cellular immune response. At present, only China and South Korea have inactivated vaccines for Hantavirus globally, and there is no marketed vaccine for this disease in the United States.

Returning to the cruise epidemic, the reason why it has attracted global attention is because it has precisely touched the most sensitive nerves in multiple dimensions such as timing, location, virus, and human emotions.

On May 12th, the last batch of personnel on the cruise ship arrived at Eindhoven Air Force Base in the Netherlands by plane

The enclosed space of the cruise ship creates a perfect environment for the spread of viruses and media attentionThe center of the storm. Dr. Zhang Wenhong's team pointed out that the Hantavirus rarely breaks out on closed transportation vehicles, and this incident is extremely rare. The environment is sealed, personnel are dense, shared facilities are limited, and ventilation is restricted. The ship is located in the vast sea. Many countries refused to dock, and there was no way to ask for help. This dilemma reproduces the collective memory during the COVID-19 and greatly amplifies public anxiety.

More importantly, the Andean virus involved in this epidemic happened to gather two major strains'Most': It is one of the deadliest strains, causing a high mortality rate of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome30%–50%It is also the only exception in the family with limited human to human transmission ability. The World Health Organization has therefore listed all personnel on board as high-risk contacts, causing a sharp increase in attention.

Japanese quarantine personnel on February 6, 2020To the 'Diamond Princess'numberCruise ship transporting supplies and medicines

The transmission chain of the epidemic is also alarming: Patient Zero is suspected to have been infected by inhaling toxic dust while bird watching at a garbage dump in Argentina, and boarded the ship during the incubation period. After the outbreak, passengers dispersed globally at leasttwelveTriggering emergency response and multi country collaboration from international public health systems such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization.

At the same time, public cognitive biases further amplify panic emotions. First,30%–50%The mortality rate itself is already extremely impactful. Secondly, words such as "cruise", "epidemic" and "isolation" can easily awaken people's collective memory of the "Diamond Princess" and the COVID-19. In addition, many people misunderstand "capable person to person transmission" as "extremely easy to spread rapidly". However, the fact is quite the opposite: the interpersonal transmission conditions of the Andean virus are extremely harsh, only occurring in long-term, close contact situations.

Supervision by the World Health OrganizationThe HongdiusCruise passenger evacuation

Prevention is always the most effective strategy in the face of Hantavirus. The core measures include: avoiding contact with rodents and their excrement, maintaining a clean and hygienic living environment, blocking rodent passages in buildings, and properly storing food and drinking water. For high-risk populations in epidemic areas, the inactivated vaccine that China has been promoting for many years is a reliable means of protection. When working in the wild or entering areas where rodents are active, one should wear a mask to prevent inhalation of aerosols and avoid direct contact with rodent habitats.

The experience of this cruise ship is like a modern medical thriller staged under a magnifying glass. It successfully captured our instinctive fear of unknown viruses and sounded the alarm of the times.

The HongdiusCruise passenger evacuation

Climate change and globalization are silently changing the map of diseases, giving rise to viruses that used to exist only in specific regionsThe possibility of 'leaving the circle'. And highly mobile enclosed spaces like cruise ships have become a touchstone for testing the global public health collaboration system.

The Hantavirus took over seventy years to transform from a mysterious virusThe 'Korean hemorrhagic fever' evolved into the globally recognized virus family today. Its story is far from over. In what way and where will it re-enter human vision next time? No one can predict. But what can be certain is that only by truly understanding its past can we better face its future.