ATLANTA — As two people are being monitored for hantavirus here in Georgia, there are still a lot of questions about how the virus is spread.
Channel 2’s Lori Wilson sat down with a doctor and asked about what we know so far.
Dr. Frita Fisher is a quadruple board-certified physician who completed her nephrology training at Emory.
She talks about medical issues to hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, and right now she’s talking about hantavirus.
“We have some of the world’s best infectious disease specialists, so anyone who comes here happens to be in good hands,” Fisher said.
Fisher said hantavirus is not new, but human-to-human transmission, like we’re seeing with the Andes strain of the virus, is still extremely rare, which makes it different from COVID-19.
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“We do not foresee this being the next pandemic. We do not foresee a huge super spreading event,” Fisher said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that hantavirus is found mainly in states west of the Mississippi.
Fisher said if you have plans to cruise or travel this summer, keeping yourself healthy comes down to basic common sense: healthy hygiene.
“Get back to handwashing. Get back to hand sanitizer,” Fisher said.
The travelers who are being monitored right now by Emory doctors and the CDC are in a special biocontainment unit.
Fisher said the situation is constantly evolving, and because of the longer incubation period, it will be a while before we have more definitive information about the Andes strain of the virus.
Another reason she said to be aware, not afraid.
“You could be exposed to the virus, have no symptoms, feeling perfectly fine, but then eight weeks later is when you start developing symptoms,” Fisher said.