The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged the public to remain calm over a hantavirus cluster linked to cruise ship travel, stressing that the risk to ordinary people is low while Nigeria’s disease authority confirmed it has recorded no cases of the virus.
Dr. Boris Pavlin, an epidemiologist and Field and Humanitarian Epidemiology team lead at the WHO, clarified that the Andes strain of the virus spreads between humans only in very limited circumstances. He drew a sharp distinction between hantavirus and airborne diseases, emphasising that casual contact in public spaces carries no meaningful infection risk.
Investigators traced the cluster to the MV Hondius cruise vessel, determining that initial cases had previously traveled to northern Argentina and Chile. The long-tailed rice rat, native to those regions, has been identified as the likely source of exposure. Passengers on board are under precautionary monitoring and none are currently showing symptoms.
WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus acknowledged that public concern is understandable, but said the virus’s specific transmission pattern keeps the risk to local populations low.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) Director General Dr. Jide Idris confirmed that Nigeria is actively tracking the global situation and maintaining surveillance for emerging infectious diseases. The agency noted that the current outbreak involves a very limited number of cases and that the risk to Nigerians remains low.
Hantaviruses are primarily carried by rodents and infect humans through direct contact with infected animals or exposure to their urine, droppings, or saliva. Symptoms typically include headache, dizziness, chills and gastrointestinal complications. No specific cure exists and treatment centres on early medical intervention alongside supportive care including oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation where necessary.
Public health authorities advise keeping homes and food storage areas free of rodents and avoiding all contact with rodent waste as primary preventive measures.
