WORCESTER, Mass. — A Central Mass. infectious disease expert spoke with Spectrum News about hantavirus and concerns over its spread.

“This virus is nowhere close to COVID or any of the respiratory viruses," Dr. Sandeep Jubbal said. "And that's been a saving grace so far.”

The World Health Organization reports that 11 hantavirus cases were tied to a cruise across the Atlantic as of Tuesday.

While we’re not far removed from a pandemic that deeply impacted life in Massachusetts, UMass Memorial Health Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Sandeep Jubbal said this virus does not spread like COVID-19.

“But with hantavirus, we know about this strain. The strain has been there, in and around South America, it is the Andes strain," Jubbal said. "It is also called a sin nombre. And this virus is rare to kind of spread from person to person, you need to have a very prolonged and continued exposure.”

Passengers of the MV Hondius ship are in quarantine and being treated if they have symptoms. As of Tuesday, the CDC said no cases of Andes virus have been confirmed in the United States or Massachusetts as a result of this outbreak.

“I think the public health authorities overall worldwide has done an excellent job, including the CDC, the W.H.O.," Jubbal said. "They've been tracing the contacts and monitoring exposed travelers.”

The Andes virus can lead to a severe and potentially deadly disease that affects the lungs, but Jubbal said the overall risk remains very low.

“Person to person spread is very rare," Jubbal said. "So, I want people to kind of know that this is a serious virus, but it is not a reason for the general public to panic.”