The Tamesis
Twenty-four years ago, Arizona photojournalist Gilbert Zermeño signed Hantavirus News reports said that after his mother and sister died of illness recent outbreak It’s already hard to deal with.
“I think I feel the same way as everyone who has had hantavirus and is still dealing with the aftermath of the infection,” Zemenio told CBS News’ “The Daily.” “It takes you back in time and it’s no less painful now than it was before. It’s hard. I’m not going to lie.”
In 2002, Zemenio discovered he had hantavirus infection after cleaning out his family’s home in Texas after the deaths of his mother and sister. He was exposed to rodent feces and became infected, spending several days in a Phoenix hospital.
Health officials around the world are monitoring the deadly situation hantavirus outbreak Link to flying Dutch flag cruise ship There have been 9 confirmed or suspected cases, including 3 deaths.
Zemenio believes that online misinformation about the disease has caused some public panic because of the word “virus.”
“But I’m just here to tell people, look, you need to do some research on this because it’s not as scary as COVID-19,” Zemenio said.
Ann Lindstrand, the World Health Organization representative in Cape Verde, told CBS News on Tuesday that there is no risk of a pandemic-level threat given the low likelihood of human-to-human transmission. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement Wednesday that hantavirus “is not spread by people without symptoms, transmission requires close contact and the risk to the American public is very low.”
Zemenio said his mother and sister were initially misdiagnosed, with doctors initially saying the two died of sepsis but later determining it was hantavirus. He said the rarity of the disease complicated his own diagnosis and treatment, but with help from his family in the medical community, he was able to get the correct diagnosis.
“Listen to your medical professionals and have a plan in place if you do feel you have been exposed to hantavirus or someone infected with hantavirus,” Zemenio said. “The chance of contracting the virus from person to person is minimal.”
