Thailand at low risk of Hantavirus outbreak - Dr Yong

Well-respected Thai virologist, Dr Yong Poovorawan, is advising people in Thailand not to be unduly concerned over the recent outbreak of Hantavirus among passengers on a Dutch-flagged cruise ship, MV Hondius, sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde. Three of those on board have died.

In his Facebook post today, Dr. Yong, a member of the Royal Academy and head of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, said that Hantavirus was present Thailand half a century ago and it was of a different species from the one which emerged on the cruise ship, adding that there is currently a very low risk of infection in Thailand.

He said that, in Thailand, there was evidence of Hantavirus in rats, such as the bandicoot rat, and antibodies were found in some groups of people who worked on farmland or who had been in close contact with rats.

According to Dr. Yong, Hantavirus is a member of the Orthohantavirus genus of viruses in the Hantaviridae family, with rodents being the reservoir host. Humans are infected through contact with fluids from the rodents, such as urine, saliva or excrement, or through inhalation of airborne fine dust contaminated with the virus.

The name ‘Hanta’ is derived from the Hanta River in South Korea, said Dr. Yong, adding that the virus was detected shortly after the Korean War and he was aware of this virus when he was a student.

Hantavirus is divided into two main groups, based on the clinical syndrome they trigger in humans: Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) and Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS).