The recent hantavirus outbreak on board the MV Hondius cruise ship has prompted international concern. Events of the next week will be critical to determine the severity of the outbreak. With no treatments available for those infected, the outbreak is a pressing reminder of the need for greater investment in novel antivirals, says GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform.
MV Hondius departed Argentina on 1 April and later sought a stop near Cape Verde, where docking was reportedly denied over fears of viral spread. As of 10 May, the ship had arrived in Tenerife, Spain, and passengers were being repatriated before spending at least a week in isolation to reduce the risk of further transmission.
The WHO has stated that, as of 11 May, there were seven confirmed hantavirus cases, including three deaths, along with two suspected cases. The cases include fever and gastrointestinal symptoms, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and shock.
Anaelle Tannen, Infectious Disease Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “People are concerned when they hear about infectious disease outbreaks, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, but the hantavirus outbreak is not expected to become another pandemic and the outbreak is currently classified as a level 3 emergency response by the CDC, meaning that the situation is being actively monitored but risk to the public is low.”
Hantavirus is a rare rodent-borne virus that can cause severe, sometimes fatal, lung disease in humans, usually after exposure to infected urine, droppings, or saliva. The MV Hondius outbreak has been linked to the Andes strain, a version found mainly in South America that is notable because it can sometimes spread between people in very close contact and can rapidly progress from flu-like symptoms to serious breathing failure.
Tannen continues: “We are seeing increased transmission and burden of infectious diseases because of climate change, and other factors such as globalization. This is especially worrying as there is a lack of novel antiviral therapies to treat these conditions, and current antimicrobials are increasingly becoming ineffective due to growing resistance.”
As with many other viral infections, there are currently no widely available vaccines or specific antiviral treatments for hantavirus infections. Treatment largely focuses on supportive care based on symptoms, such as hospital care and respiratory support.
According to GlobalData’s Pipeline Products Database, there are currently seven antiviral therapies in active development for hantavirus infections although these are all in early-stage development (from Discovery to Phase I).
More broadly, there is a large unmet need for greater investment in novel antivirals, particularly broad-spectrum antivirals, to combat viral infections, as well as future outbreaks and pandemics.
Across the viral disease spectrum, many high-burden infections such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV), have no specific targeted treatments or cures.
Tannen concludes: “There are various initiatives that are trying to de-risk, fund, and speed up novel antiviral R&D, such as the Pandemic Antiviral Discovery (PAD) initiative, which is a philanthropic consortium that funds early-stage discovery projects for pandemic-threat viruses and aims to make resulting therapies globally accessible. Initiatives like these can help combat other outbreaks and pandemics in the future.”
