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Alyssa Chen

China’s health authorities have tried to address public concern about the recent hantavirus outbreak by saying there was no cause for concern.
The Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday that the country had recorded no human infections from the strain of the virus linked to the current outbreak.
It is thought to have its origins in the Andes and the CDC said there were no natural hosts for that particular variant in China.
“Hantavirus infections generally do not result in human-to-human transmission, and ordinary social interactions or routine contact in public places do not spread the virus,” the CDC said.
The virus is usually carried by rodents and can cause serious and sometimes fatal illnesses in humans, including fevers, bleeding and kidney disease.
The latest outbreak began on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, which left Argentina on April 1 with 149 passengers and crew members on board.
The first case was recorded on April 6 from a patient who died five days later.
Health authorities are now trying to trace 29 passengers who disembarked in St Helena, a British overseas territory, on April 24, as well as others who may have been in contact with these passengers.
There have been two cases of the disease in Taiwan this year. The first, reported in Taipei in January, resulted in the death of a man in his seventies.
The second was recorded in March but was only made public this week and involved another man in his seventies who has made a full recovery.
The World Health Organization said hantavirus posed a low risk to public health but warned that the strain involved in the recent outbreak had an incubation period of up to six weeks, so more cases were likely to emerge from the cruise ship.


The Andes strain of the virus is the only one capable of limited human-to-human transmission, but even then it requires close and prolonged contact.
The Chinese CDC said around 200,000 cases of the disease were recorded every year. It added that in recent years there had been a “steady decrease” in haemorrhagic fevers caused by the virus.
While there is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for hantavirus, infection can be prevented by minimising contact with rodents.
The CDC stressed the importance of cleanliness and storing food and water to avoid contamination from rodents, as well as minimising contact with the animals.
It also called for protective equipment such as face masks, gloves, and disinfectants to be used when cleaning empty buildings that may have been infested with rats or mice.


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CDC says the strain behind the current outbreak, which emerged on a cruise ship sailing from Argentina, has no natural hosts in the country


CDC says the strain behind the current outbreak, which emerged on a cruise ship sailing from Argentina, has no natural hosts in the country.


The Netherlands

Chinese health authority says no need to worry about latest hantavirus outbreak

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}CDC says the strain behind the current outbreak, which emerged on a cruise ship sailing from Argentina, has no natural hosts in the country

CDC says the strain behind the current outbreak, which emerged on a cruise ship sailing from Argentina, has no natural hosts in the country