Legislator urges DKI Provincial Government to heighten vigilance regarding Hantavirus

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Secretary of Commission E of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Justin Adrian Untayana, has requested that the DKI Provincial Government increase vigilance regarding the spread of Hantavirus, especially given that there have already been 23 cases in Indonesia.

“The DKI Provincial Government must heighten its vigilance. Do not let this slip through and cause an outbreak in Jakarta later,” said Justin in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He reminded that the virus has the potential to be deadly to patients, even though its spread is limited, so the DKI Provincial Government must be alert to counter it.

Regarding one patient reported by the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) who is in the DKI Jakarta area, Justin urged the DKI Provincial Government to take preventive steps.

“Preventive steps need to be taken. We know that one suspected Hantavirus patient in Indonesia is in DKI Jakarta. Therefore, this needs to be monitored; it must be known where the patient has been before and who they have interacted with,” said Justin.

“A healthy living movement among the community also needs to be intensified to be on guard,” added Justin.

Previously, Acting Director General of Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health, Andi Saguni, stated that Hantavirus in Indonesia is the type Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS), which has been found since 1991 with the Seoul virus strain.

According to him, there is no evidence of Hantavirus transmission from rats to humans in Indonesia since the virus was discovered in the country in 1991.

Furthermore, he revealed that the Hantavirus case on the MV Hondius cruise ship is the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) type, which is different from the Hantavirus cases in Indonesia.

“Globally, Hantavirus cases are spread in Europe, the United States, and Asia. For Indonesia, from 2024 to 2026, 23 HFRS cases have been recorded, with no findings of HPS,” said Andi on Monday (11/5).