Venezuela Confirms 3 Deaths from Hantavirus

ILLUSTRATION PHOTO/Health officials monitor the handling of the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship off the coast of Tenerife, Canary Islands/©WHO/Hedinn Halldorsson

JAKARTA - The Venezuelan Ministry of Health on Tuesday (21/7) confirmed three deaths of patients infected with hantavirus in Anzoategui State without any recorded cases of human-to-human transmission in the country.

"We report the death of three patients in the State of Anzoategui with confirmed diagnosis of hantavirus. This virus is transmitted by rodents in agricultural areas, mainly through inhalation of particles from urine, feces, or saliva in closed spaces. There is no scientific evidence of transmission of the virus to other humans in the country," said the Venezuelan Ministry of Health in a statement.

Two other health workers died in Barinas State and the cause of death is still under investigation, he said.

The ministry said the two incidents were not related and the results of the investigation would eventually be announced.

A deadly hantavirus outbreak occurred in early May on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, which was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde. Three people died.

The passengers were then evacuated and the ship, which carried the body of a passenger who died from the virus, sailed to Rotterdam.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said an American evacuated from the ship had mild symptoms of hantavirus, while another person tested positive for the Andes variant.

Hantavirus is a group of viruses that are transmitted to humans through contact with rodents. This virus can cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).