An outbreak of the hantavirus on a cruise ship recently sparked a bit of a rally in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.
While no one hopes this will become a global health crisis, if it does, those companies that develop and market effective vaccines for the hantavirus may be financially rewarded, so the argument goes
However, at this stage, it is likely not a good idea to buy into this rally. Let’s consider three reasons why. 1. It’s not as contagious as the coronavirus While this is an evolving situation and we may not have all the facts yet, the information we have suggests that this is unlikely to become a global health crisis on the scale of the coronavirus pandemic.
Here’s why. COVID-19 spreads through respiratory droplets from an infected person. The hantavirus, by contrast, is primarily transmitted by contact with the saliva, droppings, or urine of infected rodents.