The Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) of Latvia is monitoring an outbreak of Andes hantavirus on a cruise ship. They assure that the risk to residents of Europe associated with this outbreak is very low.
This is confirmed by experts from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Currently, the infected individuals and those who have been in contact with them are in quarantine and under medical supervision to prevent further spread of the disease.
At the same time, the ECDC wants to draw travelers' attention to general preventive measures against hantaviruses.
In Latvia, cases of hantavirus infection are registered relatively rarely — in recent years, there have been between three to six cases per year. Overall, in the countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area, approximately 1,500 to 5,000 cases of hantavirus infection are registered annually.
In Europe and Asia, a form of the infection is prevalent that causes kidney dysfunction and flu-like symptoms (hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome). In South and North America, where other varieties of hantaviruses circulate, a more severe form of the disease affecting the lungs and heart — cardiopulmonary syndrome — is possible.
Although the risk for travelers is generally low, ECDC specialists urge residents of Latvia to be informed about possible routes of infection and preventive measures, especially during hiking, ecotourism, and trips to rural areas.
Symptoms of hantavirus infection usually appear 1–6 weeks after infection. The disease typically begins with flu-like symptoms:
– high fever (≥38°C); – muscle aches; – chills; – acute gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain); – acute respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, difficulty breathing).
