Puan Urges Government to Quickly and Accurately Provide Information on Hantavirus

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Chair of the Indonesian House of Representatives Puan Maharani has urged the government to provide information related to Hantavirus quickly and accurately to avoid causing panic among the public.

“The government must be more proactive in providing certainty of information and public protection in facing the Hantavirus threat. This includes the accuracy of information so that the public remains calm and does not panic with the emergence of this virus case,” said Puan in her statement on Monday (11/5/2026).

Puan also emphasised the importance of health infrastructure readiness as a step to anticipate the spread of the virus.

“The biggest challenge in facing the emergence of uncommon disease threats needs to be addressed from various aspects,” she stated.

Not only in the medical aspect, Puan urged the government to build public trust through clear information, measured anticipatory steps, and protection that can be felt by the public.

Although Hantavirus transmission is not as rapid as COVID-19, the public is said to have already experienced living in uncertainty during the early emergence of COVID-19, making concerns about diseases greater.

“Therefore, the state needs to ensure that every piece of information regarding infectious diseases is conveyed transparently and responsibly to avoid generating fear or confusion among the public,” said Puan.

Acting Director General of Disease Control and Prevention at the Health Ministry Andi Saguni explained that the cases occurring in Indonesia are of the Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) type with the Seoul Virus strain.

“We need to convey that to date, no HPS cases have been found in Indonesia. The detected cases are of the HFRS type and we continue to monitor them through the national surveillance system,” said Andi in a press conference, quoted from the official Health Ministry website, on Monday (11/5/2026).

In research, Hantavirus HPS can transmit between humans through close and prolonged contact.

Meanwhile, Hantavirus of the HFRS type in Asia and Indonesia has no evidence of human-to-human transmission to date.

“I convey that for the HFRS type occurring in Asia and Europe, including cases that have existed in Indonesia since 1991, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission,” said Andi.