The Health Center has offered advice on how to protect yourself from hantavirus
The "Andes" strain of the hantavirus, which caused an outbreak on a cruise ship, is not typically found in Ukraine and has not been detected within its borders.
This was stated in a comment to Ukrinform by Mykola Hanych, spokesperson for the Public Health Center. According to him, this strain originates from South America and is the only one that can be transmitted from person to person, but only under conditions of very close and prolonged contact.
Key points of the Public Health Center’s explanation:
Low Contagiousness: Unlike measles or the flu, hantavirus is extremely difficult to transmit between people. Even within the closed ecosystem of a cruise ship, the number of infected individuals remained relatively small.
Situation in Ukraine: Hantaviruses circulating in Ukraine are not transmitted from person to person. The only route of infection is contact with rodent secretions (urine, saliva, or feces), most often through inhalation of dust while cleaning in old buildings.
Symptoms and treatment: The initial symptoms of the disease resemble those of the flu or a respiratory infection. There is no specific treatment; supportive care is provided. Last year, all recorded cases of infection in Ukraine resulted in the patients’ recovery.
For prevention, experts advise avoiding dry cleaning in areas where rodents may be present, using masks and gloves, and treating surfaces with antiseptics. There is currently no risk of a hantavirus epidemic in Ukraine, and the healthcare system is prepared to identify and treat isolated cases.
The head of the WHO noted that hantavirus is not a new COVID
Hantavirus outbreak: experts assess the risks of a global pandemic.
We also reported: Among the crew members of the MV Hondius, where a hantavirus outbreak was recorded, are five Ukrainian citizens. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that no signs of a deterioration in their health have been detected so far.
The disease on board the MV Hondius, owned by the Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, which has claimed the lives of three passengers, may have been introduced by Argentine rats or mice.
