FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Health officials worldwide are racing to stop the spread of the Andes virus, a type of hantavirus.

At least 12 countries and five states in the U.S. are reporting cases.

The outbreak was first reported aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic after it departed Argentina last month.

“This is not Covid,” Infectious Disease Expert Dr. Aileen Marty said.

Marty said the Andes virus does not spread easily because it has a long incubation period that can take weeks.

But she stressed the virus is very deadly.

“These viruses go to the cells that line capillaries in the lungs and they look normal but they act weird and they are leaky and they allow fluid from your blood to seep into the airways of your lungs and makes it almost impossible for people to breathe,” Marty said.

Marty said she is concerned about how prepared the U.S. is to respond if cases do spread.

“If we’re not careful we may see secondary cases,” Marty said.

“The United States doesn’t have a healthcare system. The states have a healthcare system,” she added.

“Some states will be more strict, some may not. Some states have enough funding to do all the necessary contact tracing, some may not,” Marty said.

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