Фото: t.me/customs_bel
Belarus’s Health Ministry said it is monitoring developments surrounding the hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, which was travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde. It should be recalled that hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome caused by the Andes virus was detected among passengers on the vessel.
In order to prevent the importation of the infection, sanitary and quarantine controls for arriving individuals have been strengthened at Belarus’s state border checkpoints.
The Andes virus is распространён in North, Central and South America, and its main carrier is the long-tailed pygmy rice rat found in Argentina and Chile. This rodent does not occur in Europe or Asia, and therefore there is no risk of the infection spreading in Belarus, the ministry said. The World Health Organization assesses the overall risk to the global population as low.
Hantaviruses are transmitted to humans from rodents primarily through inhalation of particles from infected excretions and can lead to acute respiratory failure or kidney damage, including fatal outcomes. The Andes virus is also characterised by limited person-to-person transmission through very close and prolonged contact.