DKI Health Office Isolates One Suspected Hantavirus Patient in Special Infectious Disease Room

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Health Service is currently isolating a patient with suspected or presumed Hantavirus infection. This step is being taken as a preventive measure while awaiting laboratory test results. Head of the DKI Jakarta Health Service, Ani Ruspitawati, stated that the patient is being treated in a special isolation room for infectious diseases. Ani explained that the patient is one of four Hantavirus cases found in Jakarta throughout 2026. Of the four cases, the other three patients only experienced mild symptoms and have now been declared recovered. “One person is still suspected and requires a definitive diagnosis through laboratory testing; it is not yet confirmed, still suspected,” Ani clarified. Furthermore, Ani refuted rumours that the Hantavirus cases in Jakarta originated from a cruise ship cluster docked in the capital. According to her, all the detected cases resulted from routine monitoring conducted by the DKI Jakarta Health Service. “No, not (from the cruise ship cluster). These are cases we have monitored throughout the year,” she said. Ani urged the public not to panic excessively regarding Hantavirus. “It’s different from Covid, which was a new emerging disease; this is actually an old virus that has been continuously monitored every year,” Ani stated. Regarding transmission, Ani explained that Hantavirus in Indonesia is transmitted from rats to humans, not between humans. Transmission can occur through exposure to rat saliva, urine, or dried faeces, the dust of which is then inhaled by humans. “There are many variants of Hantavirus; some are transmitted between humans, others are not. According to WHO, only one variant, the Andes virus found in South America, is transmitted between humans to date,” she explained. “And the Andes virus has not been found in Indonesia so far. So, what we have here is still transmitted from the vector, from rats to humans,” she added. “You must wash your hands before and after activities. Wear a mask when we anticipate being in risky places, use other protective equipment when working in dirty areas, and then control the rat population,” she concluded.