JAKARTA - Switzerland confirmed one case of hantavirus after a man who had been on a cruise ship that was the center of the outbreak was found to be infected.
"One person with hantavirus infection is currently being treated at the University Hospital of Zurich (USZ). The patient is a man who returned to Switzerland after traveling on a cruise ship that recorded a number of hantavirus cases," the Swiss cabinet said in a statement reported by ANTARA from Sputnik, Thursday, May 7.
The man was found to be positive for the Andes variant hantavirus found in South America.
Unlike the European variant which is transmitted through the excretions of infected rodents, the Andes virus can be transmitted between humans.
"However, transmission only occurs through close contact. Therefore, FOPH considers the possibility of additional cases in Switzerland to be small. The risk to the public in Switzerland is low," said the statement, which quoted the Federal Public Health Office.
The government said the University of Zurich Hospital was ready to handle such cases while ensuring the safety of staff and other patients.
On May 4, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported seven confirmed cases of hantavirus on a cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic Ocean.
Three patients died, while one patient is still being treated in an intensive care unit in South Africa. Two other patients are scheduled to be medically evacuated.
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