By Chris Chikelue
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the worries associated with the spread of Hantavirus in Nigeria is normal because of the nature of the disease which is rodent-borne but, “there is no cause for alarm”.
This follows the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) assurance to Nigerians that there has been no case of Hantavirus recorded in the country following reports of the ongoing cluster linked to a cruise ship travel.
According to Epidemiologist and the team lead for Field and Humanitarian Epidemiology at the WHO, Dr. Boris Pavlin, “this Andes hantavirus has spread in limited amount from human to human, this is not COVID, this is not passing someone in a hallway in an airport outside at a stadium and getting infected.”
He said investigation into the hantavirus infection cluster’s origin indicates, “there is absolutely every reason to believe that the virus came from rodents” and that it did not originate from the region the ship departed, but elsewhere in northern Argentina and Chile, where the long-tailed rice rat, which is the specific carrier of the Andes hantavirus strain, is common.
Dr. Pavlin confirmed that the first hantavirus cases on board the ship, MV Hondius had previously traveled to the North African region.
“Though no one on board the cruise was currently showing any symptoms but they were just being monitored as a precautionary measure,” he said.
On Saturday, WHO Director General, Dr.Tedros Ghebreyesus said, “concern on the virus spread is legitimate but we are assuring local residents that the risk is low for them because of the nature of the disease and the fact that you are not close to the rodents carrying the disease”.
In a public health advisory the NCDC Director General, Dr. Jide Idris, said Nigeria was closely monitoring the situation while maintaining surveillance for emerging infectious diseases.
The agency maintained that reports indicate low risk to the general public even as the outbreak involved a limited number of confirmed and suspected cases.
Hantaviruses are a group of viruses primarily carried by rodents-the rat, with potential human risk infection through direct contact with infected rodents or exposure to their urine, droppings, saliva or contaminated dust particles.
Symptoms include among others headache, dizziness, chills, and gastrointestinal symptoms.
According to NCDC, Dr. Idris, there is no specific cure for the ailment but treatment focuses on early medical care and supportive therapy, including oxygen, mechanical ventilation.
“Early symptoms can resemble many other infections. Public health experts advise basic preventive measures such as keeping homes and food storage areas free of rodents, avoiding contact with rodent droppings, and using protective measures.
“Early medical evaluation is important if symptoms develop after possible exposure”, Dr. Idris advised.
