There is no Andes hantavirus in Ukraine due to a lack of the necessary hamsters – Press Service

Experts from the Ukrainian Public Health Center have reassured the public regarding reports of the detection of the Andes hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius. No cases of infection have been reported among the ship’s passengers in Ukraine, and the virus itself lacks the conditions necessary to establish itself in our region. The main reason the Andes virus cannot circulate is the absence in Europe of its sole natural host—the South American rice hamster. 

This was reported by the Center for Public Health.

The agency explained that human-to-human transmission of this strain is a rare exception. Even if the virus enters the country with an infected person, the long incubation period and the absence of a local reservoir among rodents make an outbreak impossible. At the same time, other types of hantaviruses native to European fauna continue to be recorded in Ukraine, which are usually transmitted through contact with local rodents.

Currently, the situation is under the control of epidemiologists, and the threat to public health is assessed as minimal. The Public Health Center urges the public to trust only official data and not to panic over reports of incidents on international vessels. Ongoing monitoring of the health of Ukrainians returning from abroad continues as usual.

The WHO Director-General 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.