“Anyone on that ship is high risk,” says Harvard health professor about hantavirus spread
Some cases of hantavirus did not require prolonged close contact, and people who were on the cruise ship where the virus was detected should quarantine, said Joseph Allen, a professor at the Harvard University School of Public Health, on Monday.
“In fact, one person passed it to another person at a birthday party simply by passing by and saying hello. That’s not prolonged contact,” Allen told CNN’s Erin Burnett. “I don’t think we should be messing around here. Anyone on that ship is high risk,” News.Az reports, citing CNN.
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Allen added there is “incomplete” and “half-correct” messaging coming from health organizations about what should be done about possible close contacts.
Dr. Gustavo Palacios, a virologist advising officials on the hantavirus outbreak, indicated that health leaders should err on the side of caution and trust the World Health Organization’s assessment that anyone on the ship is at high risk.
By Faig Mahmudov
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