Prof. Masdalina Pane: Hantavirus Risk is Low, but Still Must Be Alert

JAKARTA - The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Public Health Emergency Expertise Research Professor, Prof. Dr. Masdalina Pane said that the Hantavirus type HFRS with a death rate (case fatality rate) of 13% in Indonesia is relatively low.

"Of course there is a risk, but for an outbreak, it (the chance) is low. But that doesn't mean we have to be complacent. Caution must certainly be taken. Because the interesting thing about Hantavirus is that the initial symptoms are not typical," he explained when talking to Eddy Wijaya in the EdShareOn podcast which aired on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.

The Ministry of Health recorded that throughout 2024-2026 there were 23 cases of Hantavirus in Indonesia. From that figure, 20 people recovered and 3 patients died. Public anxiety began to emerge after there were reports of the death of a passenger on the MV Hondius cruise ship due to an infection with the Andes type of Hantavirus.

Until mid-May 2026, the DKI Health Office recorded six suspected Hantavirus which are still being monitored until now. In Indonesia, this virus is transmitted from rats to humans.

A number of Hantavirus symptoms are said to be similar to the signs of Influenza, such as fever. In adults, Masdalina said the fever was not very typical. Unlike the symptoms of fever in children whose temperature reaches 38.5° Celsius.

Meanwhile, other symptoms are muscle and joint pain, sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting - similar to the symptoms of a number of infectious diseases. Typical Hantavirus symptoms appear when there is a rapid deterioration in a matter of hours, which is similar to the symptoms of dengue fever, there is plasma infiltration into the outer tissues and acute renal failure.

"That's where the clinical instinct of the doctor comes in, because the deterioration is fast, while kidney failure is not an acute disease," said Masdalina.

That is why, Masdalina assessed that the initial challenge for medical personnel is to detect the early symptoms of Hantavirus. Especially for the variant or strain found in Indonesia, which is transmitted from animals to humans. This variant has milder symptoms than the Andes strain from South America, which is deadly and has been transmitted between humans.

In Argentina, the spread of Hantavirus variant HPS or HCPS that attacks the heart and respiratory system has recorded 70 cases per year. Meanwhile, in China and South Korea, Hantavirus reaches thousands of cases per year.

Masdalina explained that a number of medical references stated that the HPS or HCPS strain caused more fatal heart failure complications. The sufferers also included vulnerable risk groups, namely the elderly and have comorbid or concomitant diseases.

However, Masdalina advised the public not to panic about Hantavirus because the death rate is much lower than the type in South America. The most important thing is to remain vigilant against the virus's trigger, namely wild rats - such as the got rat (Rattus norvegicus) or the house rat (Rattus rattus).

In addition, we must also avoid exposure to dirt, urine, and saliva of rats that allow the virus particles to be inhaled. The next step is to close the food container tightly so that it is not sniffed by rats. The most important thing is to apply clean living behavior, and consume healthy food.

"If you come into contact with travelers from South America and have symptoms, immediately go to the nearest health facility so that you can be treated medically early. Don't take it lightly because the phase of worsening symptoms is very fast," said Masdalina.

Hantavirus itself is actually not a new virus. This virus has been identified since the 1950s during the war between Japan and Korea. At that time, there were 3 thousand UN soldiers infected with the Seoul Virus (SEOV) type of Hantavirus. This type also has a lower death rate than the Andes variant.

Masdalina said that Hantavirus has more than 300 strains, of which 41 infect humans. As for Indonesia, Hantavirus has been around since 1978 which was identified in rats. Meanwhile, Hantavirus that infects humans was first found in Indonesia in 1991.

Looking at the Covid-19 pandemic period, Indonesia is considered to need to have a research laboratory with a high level. Of the four levels of laboratories called BSL (Bio-Safety Level), Indonesia only has level 3.

"I think we need BSL-4. At least not to engineer the virus. But how to speed up the production of vaccines and drugs, if something happens," Masdalina told Eddy Wijaya in the EdShareOn podcast which aired on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.

Masdalina's explanation is related to Hantavirus which comes in and out of biovirus category A, or high level. Masdalina considered that it must be wary. "Microorganisms that enter at level A are very vulnerable to being used as biological weapons.

"Although there are regulations on that, many countries still do research. Like during the Covid-19 pandemic, many questioned whether the virus engineering was carried out in a laboratory in Wuhan?" he said.

Masdalina said that neighboring countries in Indonesia generally already have BSL-4 laboratories, such as Singapore and Australia. He said, on one occasion, a colleague from Singapore asked whether Indonesia had engineered the virus.

Masdalina answered diplomatically. He said that Indonesia could not possibly do that because it did not have a BSL-4 laboratory. It was Singapore that might do it because it had a high-level laboratory.

"Although we are not much working in the laboratory in epidemiology, we continue to encourage our colleagues to work well. Especially to protect our country from the threat of biological weapons and changes in the character of the disease," said Masdalina. Because, like humans, viruses and bacteria can also adapt to the climate.