Four Countries Under Hantavirus Surveillance Radar at Soekarno-Hatta Airport

TANGERANG - The Main Health Quarantine Centre (BBKK) at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is tightening surveillance of international passengers from four countries identified as having Hantavirus cases. The four countries in question are the United States, Argentina, Uruguay, and Panama. “So, there are four countries where we are implementing extra tightening if there are direct flights to Soekarno-Hatta,” said the Head of BBKK Soekarno-Hatta, Naning Nugrahini, in a written statement on Monday (11/5/2026). This includes filling out health declarations via the Satu Sehat app to assessing body temperature using thermal scanners. “First through filling out the Satu Sehat app. From there, we will know the risk from that flight, whether there are risky individuals or not,” she said. Naning explained that if either of these two methods identifies passengers with signs and symptoms pointing to Hantavirus, officers will conduct further examinations by doctors. “If from the examination the person is probable, then we refer them to the central infectious disease hospital for further treatment,” Naning stated. “Because the people we transport, the ones we refer, have infectious diseases,” she clarified. To date, Hantavirus transmission is known to originate from rodents such as mice through urine, saliva, or environmental contamination. Nevertheless, her side remains vigilant and anticipatory to prevent it from entering Indonesia. “In the infectious disease ambulance, there is a decontamination system so that viruses, bacteria, or germs from the suspected person inside the ambulance can be decontaminated, thus preventing transmission from person to person,” she said.