DPR Pushes for National Mitigation Measures Against Entry of Andes Hantavirus

Jakarta – Member of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Ravindra Airlangga, said vigilance must be heightened even though the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that the global public health risk from Andes variant hantavirus remains low and this is not the start of a new pandemic. ‘Even though WHO says the risk is low and this is not the start of a new pandemic, the government must still prepare comprehensive mitigation steps. We must not be complacent,’ Ravindra said in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday.

Ravindra said the Health Quarantine Office (Balai Karantina Kesehatan) should be on standby at every entry point to the country, including international airports and seaports. The government should also carry out comprehensive health screenings for passengers on ships and planes, especially those with travel history from high-risk countries, such as nations in South America.

‘The Andes variant has different characteristics, because it can be transmitted between humans. Although it has not yet been detected in Indonesia, vigilance must be increased,’ he said.

Ravindra added that the hantavirus cases found in Indonesia to date have been the Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) strain Seoul Virus. Transmission occurs zoonotically through the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) and the house rat (Rattus rattus), and is not transmitted human-to-human.

According to him, Indonesia needs an integrated national mitigation system, spanning epidemiological surveillance, laboratory capacity, hospital preparedness, and rapid local response. ‘National health resilience must be an important part of the nation’s resilience. With a strong system, we can detect and respond to infectious disease threats quickly and effectively,’ Ravindra Airlangga said.