The ongoing hantavirus outbreak has sparked global concern, with many questioning whether the virus could spread in a manner similar to Covid-19 and whether lockdowns or mask mandates may return.
Addressing these fears during a press conference on Thursday evening, World Health Organization (WHO) officials clarified that hantavirus behaves very differently from Covid-19 and influenza, and does not currently pose the same level of widespread transmission risk.
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Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, Director of Epidemic and Pandemic Management at the WHO, said the current outbreak should not be compared to the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is not Covid, nor influenza, it spreads very differently,” she said.
Dr. Kerkhove also noted that there were currently no symptomatic passengers or crew onboard in the monitored setting linked to the outbreak. Referring to previous outbreaks of the Andes virus strain of hantavirus, she explained that human-to-human transmission had mainly occurred among individuals in close contact.
“In past outbreaks of Andes virus, human-to-human transmission primarily occurred among close contacts,” she added.
WHO officials pointed to similarities with an outbreak reported in Argentina between 2018 and 2019. Dr. Abdirahman Mahamud, Director at the Alert and Response Coordination Department of the WHO’s Emergencies Health Programme, said a symptomatic individual attending a social gathering during that outbreak led to multiple infections.
“We are in a similar situation right now, with a cluster in a confined space and close contact,” Dr. Mahamud said.
However, he stressed that the outbreak could be effectively controlled through standard public health measures such as contact tracing and isolation.
“If we follow public health measures, with contact tracing and isolation, we can break this chain of transmission. It doesn’t need to be a large epidemic,” he said.
According to WHO officials, the current cases appear to be linked to prolonged close interactions within a confined setting rather than widespread community transmission.
Health experts continue to monitor the situation closely, while emphasising that the outbreak does not currently indicate the need for mass lockdowns or Covid-style restrictions.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)
