Dr. Sarah Crawford, a biology professor and virology expert at Southern Connecticut State University, was recently featured in Connecticut local media discussing the deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius.
In the article, Crawford provided insight into the Andes strain of hantavirus, a rare strain capable of person-to-person transmission, and discussed the broader public health implications of global travel and infectious disease response.
“It’s a perfect storm,” Crawford told the Courant. “We no longer have oceans that separate us.”
Crawford emphasized the importance of early intervention, contact tracing, and international cooperation in responding to outbreaks, while noting that the virus is significantly less transmissible than COVID-19.
A faculty member in Southern’s Department of Biology, Crawford specializes in virology and infectious disease education and frequently provides expert commentary on emerging public health issues.
