By Marizka Coetzer at The Citizen
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases says close contacts of confirmed hantavirus patients are being quarantined and monitored for 42 days after a deadly outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship.
- Health officials have warned the public to watch for symptoms such as fever, headaches and breathing difficulties, as there is currently no approved cure or vaccine for the virus.
- With eight confirmed cases, three deaths and more than 170 people potentially exposed, the World Health Organization says more cases could still emerge in the coming weeks.
Testing positive for the hantavirus could see you quarantined and monitored for 42 days.
High-risk contacts of patients with hantavirus continue to be quarantined and monitored for 42 days following the last contact with a positive case, said Dr Jacqueline Weyer, National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) acting deputy director and head of the Centre for Emerging and Zoonotic HaParasitic Diseases.
NICD monitors high risk contacts after MV Hondius outbreak
Wyer said because the virus is transmitted through close and direct contact, only close and direct contact requires monitoring.
“Medical staff at the front line often have close and direct contact with patients, and those who have had such contact have been identified and are being monitored,” she added.
The NICD has urged the public to remain alert to symptoms of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome and said the public should look out for early signs, which may include fever, headache and muscle aches, while severe symptoms can include shortness of breath and fluid in the lungs.
NICD urged those who have travelled to endemic regions such as the Americas or have been in contact with a confirmed case recently to inform their health care provider immediately.
The government warned that there is no specific approved treatment or vaccine.
There is no cure for hantavirus, and Ivermectin cannot cure or treat it, but early intensive care and hospitalisation is crucial.
173 people potentially exposed to hantavirus
According to the latest data captured by Kimberly Panozzo from the University of Toledo, 173 people were suspected of being exposed to the virus, with eight cases confirmed and three deaths.
Earlier this week, the national department of health confirmed the number of traced contacts was at 91 out of 97 identified people, following an outbreak of hantavirus, which was initially identified on an MV Hondius cruise ship last month.
On Tuesday, The Guardian reported the head of the World Public urged to be alert to symptoms of deadly disease Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told countries to prepare for more hantavirus cases after authorities in Paris said a French woman who contracted the virus onboard the MV Hondius had the most severe form of the disease and had been put on a ventilator.
Ghebreyesus praised Spain for the compassion and solidarity it had shown by taking in the stricken cruise ship and urged authorities to follow the WHO’s advice, which include a 42-day quarantine and constant monitoring of high-risk contacts.
“At the moment, there is no sign we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak, but of course the situation could change and, given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks,” Ghebreyesus said during a press conference in Madrid.
This article was republished from The Citizen. Read the original here.
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