Early signs include fever, severe body aches, fatigue, headache, nausea, vomiting, dry cough and sometimes abdominal discomfort.

Health authorities have reassured that there is no immediate public health threat in India after reports of suspected hantavirus infections involving two Indian nationals aboard a cruise ship currently under global monitoring.

Dr. Naveen Kumar, Director of the ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV), said the cases appear isolated and there is no evidence of community transmission at present. He emphasized that India’s surveillance system remains fully capable of detecting and managing such infections through its nationwide laboratory network.

The World Health Organization has also maintained that hantavirus infections are rare and typically do not spread between humans. Only limited human-to-human transmission has been recorded in specific strains in South America, including the Andes virus.

Health specialists explained that hantavirus is usually contracted through exposure to infected rodents such as rats or squirrels, or by inhaling particles from their urine, saliva or droppings in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces like warehouses, ships and storage areas.

Dr. Kumar highlighted that unlike Covid-19, the virus does not spread easily among people. He added that symptoms generally develop one to five weeks after exposure and may initially resemble flu-like illnesses.

Early signs include fever, severe body aches, fatigue, headache, nausea, vomiting, dry cough and sometimes abdominal discomfort. The WHO has assessed the overall public health risk from the reported cluster as low while monitoring continues.

(With Inputs from PTI)