An international team of scientists is urgently working to develop a vaccine against the deadly hantavirus following an outbreak of the rat-borne virus on a luxury cruise ship that left three people dead. Currently, there is no specific cure or approved vaccine for hantavirus, which, if it progresses to the more serious hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, can kill around 40 per cent of infected patients.
Breakthrough at the University of Bath
Scientists based at the University of Bath have developed a new antigen against Hantaan disease, which originates from the Hantavirus group. The vaccine has been tested in the lab as well as on animals, and according to a spokesperson, has returned 'excellent' immune responses. However, more work is needed, including rigorous clinical trials, before the vaccine can be approved for use.
Professor Asel Sartbaeva, who is involved in the project, said: 'Obviously developing a vaccine would be amazing because then we can prevent instances of this disease happening or at least mitigate the really bad consequences of the infection.'
Current Treatment Limitations
Currently, early medical intervention is the only way to combat the virus. But often patients confuse the early symptoms with flu or Covid-19, not seeking medical support until the infection is in its later stages. At that point, care typically involves oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation, and even dialysis to treat lung damage and kidney failure, another potential complication.
Outbreak on the MV Hondius
Hantavirus became an international talking point following the mid-Atlantic outbreak on the MV Hondius earlier this week. Experts do not know if the outbreak was caused by rodent contamination on the vessel itself or whether passengers were exposed before boarding. New reports suggest some passengers visited a rubbish tip for a birdwatching trip before departure, which might have exposed them to the virus. If this hypothesis is correct, they would not have felt unwell until around a week later, by which time the ship would have sailed.
Disease Progression
Hantavirus can often lead to two more serious illnesses affecting the lungs or kidneys, resulting in organ failure and death. Both illnesses often start like the flu, causing fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. In the early stages, those infected may feel more tired than usual before developing a fever and muscle aches. Then, depending on the strain, the disease progresses down one of two routes: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) or hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). As a rule, Asian strains develop into the less serious HFRS. However, not everyone who contracts hantavirus becomes seriously unwell, and some show no symptoms at all.
Current Situation
Currently, two British people are self-isolating at home after disembarking the boat before it arrived at its final destination, with 20 more still on board waiting to be repatriated within the next few days. Unlike some strains, the Andes strain identified on the stricken ocean liner is easily transmissible between people, sparking fears the outbreak could spread globally. Officials are now scrambling to contact dozens of passengers who have already disembarked to encourage them to be tested and, if necessary, to isolate. Symptoms of hantavirus can take up to eight weeks to appear and often manifest as 'flu-like', but they can rapidly progress and become deadly, causing acute kidney failure and internal bleeding. This incubation period complicates things and creates an opportunity for the virus to spread undetected.
Vaccine Development Race
The researchers started working on the vaccine before the latest MV Hondius outbreak, but the race is now on to get it approved. They set out to develop a vaccine that does not need to be stored at freezing temperatures, which makes transportation extremely difficult. The process, known as insilication, involves encasing vaccines in tiny layers of material to make them resistant to heat changes. The hope is that vaccines treated with thermal stabilisation will be able to be delivered by drone to those most in need when outbreaks happen.
