Hantavirus has been all over the news lately due to a shocking outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The virus is typically transmitted to humans when they breathe airborne particles from the dried droppings, urine or saliva of infected rodents. That’s how Oscar winner Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy, died last year . The cruise ship culprit appears to be the Andes virus, the most common cause of severe hantavirus in South America. What makes the Andes strain unique among hantaviruses is that while it’s primarily transmitted to humans from infected rodents, it can be spread from person to person. Health officials think that two of the MV Hondius passengers killed by hantavirus likely contracted it while bird-watching in Argentina. AP As of Wednesday evening , three of the ship’s passengers have died and several others have fallen ill from the virus.…