Hantavirus Alarm: Doctor Warns of Deadly Infection With 40% Fatality Rate

At a time when global health systems are still recalibrating surveillance frameworks, renewed concerns over older pathogens serve as a reminder that vigilance cannot be selective or episodic.

Raising a strong alarm over Hantavirus, Dr Ishwar Gilada, Chairman and Managing Director at Unison Medicare and Research Centre, has cautioned that the rodent-borne infection, though not new, carries significant risks due to its high mortality and complex transmission dynamics.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Gilada stressed that Hantavirus is a zoonotic infection primarily found in rodent populations.

Despite its long-known presence, he underlined the severity of its clinical outcomes, noting that it manifests in two major forms: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), a severe respiratory illness, and Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS), which impacts blood vessels and kidneys.

A key concern flagged by him is the prolonged incubation period. He noted that the virus can remain dormant for four to eight weeks, delaying the onset of symptoms and complicating detection efforts.

Why is Hantavirus considered dangerous during its early infectious window?

"People getting infected almost four or five weeks before will start showing symptoms now. But during the first week, they are also infectious to others," he explained, highlighting what he described as a dangerous window for potential transmission.

Warning of the virus's severity, Dr Gilada said, "Out of 100 people infected with this, 40 will die."

Meanwhile, concerns have been heightened by developments linked to a reported outbreak involving international travellers.

Britain’s health security agency has identified an additional suspected case in a British national on the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan de Cunha, according to a Reuters report.

The agency confirmed that two British nationals are among those infected as part of its monitoring of the outbreak on the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius.

The incident has already resulted in three fatalities, involving a Dutch couple and a German national, with a total of five confirmed infections so far.

The vessel is scheduled to dock in Tenerife on Sunday. Authorities have stated that British nationals on board who remain asymptomatic will be flown back to the United Kingdom and required to isolate for 45 days.

Separately, seven British nationals had disembarked the ship earlier on April 24 in St Helena. Of these, two are currently isolating in Britain, four remain in St Helena, and one individual has been traced outside the United Kingdom.

(With inputs from ANI)