TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Switzerland has confirmed a case of hantavirus after a man who was on the cruise ship at the center of the outbreak was infected, the Swiss cabinet announced on Wednesday, May 6.
“One person with a hantavirus infection is currently being treated at the University Hospital Zurich (USZ). The patient is male and returned to Switzerland after travelling on the cruise ship which there were a number of hantavirus cases,” the Swiss cabinet said in a statement, as quoted by ANTARA.
The man tested positive for the Andes strain of 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. The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) therefore considers the occurrence of further cases in Switzerland unlikely. The risk to the public in Switzerland is low,” the statement said, citing the Federal Office of Public Health.
The government said Zurich University Hospital is 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 have died, while one remains in intensive care in South Africa. Two other patients are scheduled for medical evacuation.
Read: WHO: Global Hantavirus Risk from Cruise Ship Cases Is Low
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