CARACAS – Three people in Venezuela have died after contracting hantavirus. According to the Venezuelan Ministry of Health, there is no indication that the virus has been transmitted from person to person.
The ministry has not disclosed where in Venezuela the infections were identified, nor which variant of hantavirus is involved. Hantaviruses are typically spread by rodents and can cause severe respiratory illness in humans.
An outbreak of the Andes variant caused international concern in April, when the virus was detected among passengers and crew aboard the Dutch cruise ship M/V Hondius. Three people on board died.
The cruise ship had called at several ports, including Argentina, where a species of rodent known to carry the virus is found. The Andes variant differs from other hantaviruses in that it can, in rare cases, also be transmitted between humans.
Following the outbreak, passengers were repatriated via Tenerife. Source and contact tracing investigations subsequently took place, and those involved were required to quarantine.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared in early July that the outbreak linked to the Hondius had been contained. There is currently no indication that the three deaths in Venezuela are connected to that earlier outbreak.
Curaçao and Aruba
There is currently no indication of spread to the Leeward Islands — Aruba, Curaçao, or Bonaire — and no official warning has been issued for the islands.
However, people who have recently visited the affected area in Venezuela and subsequently develop fever, muscle aches, headache, coughing, or shortness of breath are advised to seek medical attention and to inform their healthcare provider of their travel history.
