How Dangerous is Hantavirus in Indonesia?

A sample of Hantavirus is seen in Ankara, Turkey on May 6, 2026. (ANTARA/Arman Onal - Anadolu Agency/pri)

JAKARTA - The hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship has become a public concern. However, the Indonesian Association of Pediatricians (IDAI) emphasized that this is not the beginning of a pandemic like COVID-19.

Throughout last week, the news of the death of three passengers on the MV Hondius cruise ship sailing from Argentina seized the attention of the public, both at home and abroad. Citing Al Jazeera, two of the three passengers who died were a married couple, and one of them was confirmed to be infected with hantavirus.

The news immediately became widely known, including the Indonesian people. The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) noted that there were five cases of hantavirus found in Indonesia throughout 2026. Based on the Kemenkes data, a total of 251 suspected hantavirus cases occurred during the period 2024 to 2026. Of these, 223 cases were negative, while 23 cases were confirmed positive.

The Head of the Communication and Public Information Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Aji Muhawarman, said that Yogyakarta and DKI Jakarta were the regions with the highest number of cases, with six cases each. West Java reported five cases, while other provinces reported one case.

Amid public concerns, Indonesian Pediatric Association (IDAI) tropical infection expert Dominicus Husada confirmed that the andes type hantavirus that broke out on the MV Hondius cruise ship has never been found in Indonesia. So, people don't need to worry about the possibility of a pandemic like the COVID-19 pandemic some time ago.

The process of evacuating one of the passengers of a cruise ship in Belitung waters due to illness, in Tanjungpandan, Sunday (10/5/2026). (ANTARA/HO-BKK Class II Pangkalpinang Working Area Tanjungpandan)Not a New Virus

When news of the death of a passenger on the MV Hondius cruise ship spread, many people thought that hantavirus was a rare disease from abroad.

The Ministry of Health explained on its official website that based on research, this virus has been in Indonesia for a long time, even since the 1980s. Comprehensive studies conducted in various major cities found that the seroprevalence of hantavirus in humans in Indonesia reached around 11.6 percent. This means that out of every 10 people, at least one has been exposed to this virus, although it may never have been diagnosed.

Meanwhile, quoting the World Health Organization (WHO) website, hantavirus is a zoonotic virus that naturally infects rodents and is sometimes transmitted to humans.

Regarding public concerns with hantavirus that broke out on the MV Hondius cruise ship, Dominicus Husada explained that not all rats carry the same type of hantavirus. According to him, each species of rat can carry different viruses.

"Hantavirus Andes is not in Indonesia. We have never found the Andes virus here," Dominicus said in a virtual media briefing, Friday (8/5/2026).

Dominicus continued, hantavirus is not just one type of virus. This virus is a large group consisting of dozens of variants and is spread across various regions of the world, depending on the species of the carrying mouse.

The researchers, said Dominicus, have identified more than 40 types of hantavirus, but not all of them cause disease in humans.

"Different mice, different names, different mice, different viruses. We have identified more than 40 viruses. As many as 22 of them can already cause disease," he said.

He explained that the Andes variant, as found on the cruise ship, is the only known group of hantaviruses that can be transmitted from human to human.

"This Andes virus is the only one from the Hanta family that can cause transmission from person to person in close contact, in close contact. So, if the contact is not close, it's hard," he explained.

Not Easily Transmitted

In a conversation with Kompas.id, microbiologist and Professor of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Indonesia, Pratiwi Pujilestari Sudarmono, emphasized that the transmission of hantavirus is not as fast as COVID-19. Human-to-human transmission, said Pratiwi, only occurs if there is close contact.

That is why, in the case of the death of a husband and wife on the MV Hondius cruise ship, it is very possible. Meanwhile, transmission to other people who do not have close contact, such as colleagues or distant neighbors, is very unlikely.

Therefore, experts state that the hanta virus transmission index is relatively low. There is no need to panic like facing COVID-19 because this virus is not easily spread in the community.

Although hantavirus in Indonesia is not transmitted from human to human, Pratiwi emphasized the importance of maintaining cleanliness. Rats, he said, are usually in garbage cans, dirty houses, or unhealthy environments, which should not be healthy in terms of public health. In addition to hantavirus, the disease most transmitted by rats in Indonesia is actually leptospirosis, especially during floods.

An ambulance involved in evacuating passengers suspected of being infected with hantavirus is seen in Praia, Cape Verde, on May 6, 2026. (ANTARA/Elton Monteiro/Xinhua)

Epidemiologist Masdalina Pane agrees. Transmission of the andes variant hantavirus is not as easy as COVID-19. If COVID-19 can spread through droplets or splashes of saliva in the air, the andes variant hantavirus generally requires direct contact to be transmitted. That's why, its spread is relatively more difficult and more limited.

"Direct contact is like sexual intercourse, then kissing or between through breast milk to the child. That is direct contact and the duration (must) be significant enough," said Masdalina.

Meanwhile, Dominicus emphasized that the most common transmission of hantavirus is through virus particles derived from urine, feces, or saliva of rats that are inhaled by humans. While transmission through wounds on the skin is less common.

"Transmission is two ways, one respiratory tract, that is the most common. Virus particles in feces or urine or saliva (mice), it can (be inhaled). And the second is the skin that is not intact, so the skin is injured, but that is much less common. The more common is through the respiratory tract," he said.