Hantavirus Scare on Cruise Ship: ICMR Says No Immediate Threat to India
ICMR said India has laboratory surveillance capacity and no evidence of community spread as WHO monitors contacts aboard the vessel.
- On Friday, Director Naveen Kumar of the ICMR-National Institute said Hantaviruses cases involving two Indian nationals on a cruise ship are isolated, posing no immediate public health threat to India.
- Unlike COVID-19, Hantaviruses do not spread easily among people, Kumar explained, as transmission primarily occurs through contact with infected rodents or their excreta in enclosed spaces.
- India has diagnostic capacity through the ICMR-National Institute and the Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory Network of 165 labs using RT-PCR, with symptoms appearing one to five weeks after exposure.
- WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus assessed the public health risk as low, while WHO officials advise maintaining hygiene and avoiding exposure in rodent-prone environments such as ships and warehouses.
- Climate change, flooding, and unplanned urbanisation increase human encroachment into rodent habitats, raising infection risks; Kumar added that rapid urban growth with poor sanitation further supports rodent proliferation.
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15 Articles
Hantavirus outbreak: India faces no immediate public health threat, says virology institute chief
The outbreak of hantavirus poses no immediate public health threat to India, chief of the National Institute of Virology told PTI on Friday.The comments came amid concerns about two Indians reportedly having been infected by the hantavirus on board a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Both were asymptomatic and are under observation, The Indian Express quoted unidentified Union health ministry officials as saying.The cases appear to be isolated …
Amid reports of Hantavirus cases on a cruise ship, experts from the ICMR-NIV and AIIMS have stated that there is currently no risk of an epidemic or widespread infection in India. According to experts, the virus is primarily spread by rodents and its transmission to humans is extremely rare.
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ICMR-NIV says hantavirus not spreading in India, no pandemic threat: Dr Naveen Kumar
While speaking to ANI, Dr Naveen Kumar, Director of ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, stated that the reported infections among Indian nationals appear to be isolated imported cases and do not indicate any community spread within India.
Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship: ICMR Says No Immediate Threat to India After 2 Indians Infected | 🇮🇳 LatestLY
The ICMR has stated there is no immediate public health threat to India following a hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius. Two Indian nationals were among those infected, but experts say the virus rarely spreads between humans. Global health authorities are currently monitoring the vessel and tracing former passengers to prevent further cases. 🇮🇳 Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship: ICMR Says No Immediate Threat to India After 2 Ind…
Hantavirus scare on cruise ship: ICMR says no immediate threat to India
Two Indian nationals aboard a cruise ship have tested positive for hantavirus, but health officials assure there's no immediate threat to India. The virus, primarily spread by rodents, does not transmit easily between humans. Global health authorities are monitoring the situation, with the ...
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