Ministry of Health monitors flights from South America to prevent hantavirus
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) is paying special attention to residents entering Indonesia from South America to anticipate the transmission of hantavirus on the MV Hondius cruise ship, which previously sailed from Argentina to Cape Verde.
“Special attention is given to passengers originating from countries in South America, such as Argentina and other countries in the region. In All Indonesia, it is already recorded, it is reported where they came from previously, so even if, for example, in Singapore or in another country, the All Indonesia recording system can be read,” said Acting Director General of Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health, Andi Saguni, in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Andi explained that the disease can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome or HPS (severe lung syndrome due to hantavirus) and haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome or HFRS (haemorrhagic fever with kidney disorder).
In Indonesia, the variant found is HFRS, originating from the Seoul strain, and there has never been transmission from rats to humans like the Andes strain found on the MV Hondius ship.
“She is a close contact of the second case (a 69-year-old woman, deceased) and was on the same flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg. The close contact is asymptomatic but has uncontrolled comorbid hypertension and a history of vaping (electronic cigarettes). However, based on laboratory results, the patient was declared negative for hantavirus,” he said.
Andi explained that the incubation period for HPS is around 45 days. Therefore, Kemenkes will continue intensive monitoring during that period while closely observing the situation’s developments. To date, the close contact patient is still in quarantine at RSPI Sulianti Saroso.
Nevertheless, Andi emphasised that this situation is different from the COVID-19 pandemic. Kemenkes hopes that the case will not develop into a pandemic and will be limited to the MV Hondius ship cluster only.