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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) on Thursday confirmed that no Hong Kong residents were on board the cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, where a cluster of hantavirus infections has been detected.
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The cruise ship, which boarded 147 passengers and crew in Argentina on April 1, had recorded three confirmed and five suspected Hantavirus cases as of yesterday, with three patients having died.
The CHP said it has proactively sought further information from the World Health Organization (WHO) and relevant health during the past few days.
Based on current evaluations, the WHO considers the international risk associated with this incident to be low.
As a precaution, the CHP has issued the latest health information and guidelines to the travel industry, while health screening for arrivals at all boundary control points will continue.
Arriving travelers exhibiting a fever will undergo medical assessments and may be referred for further examination if necessary.
The center said it will continue to closely monitor global hantavirus developments and will adjust Hong Kong's prevention and control measures as needed based on risk assessments.
Edwin Tsui Lok-kin, the controller of the CHP, stated the center's Port Health Division has contacted the Airport Authority Hong Kong and organizations and operators in the travel industry to provide information on the epidemiological development of the hantaviruses, preventive measures, guidelines, and relevant health advice.
He reminded all stakeholders to implement rodent prevention measures and strengthen environmental hygiene monitoring at all border control points.
Hantavirus is rarely transmitted through human-to-human contact, as its infection primarily occurs through direct contact with the feces, saliva, or urine of infected rodents or by inhaling the virus in aerosolized particles of their excreta.
Other routes of infection include being bitten or scratched by infected rodents, eating food contaminated with the virus, or touching the eyes, nose, or mouth without washing hands after contact with contaminated objects.
The incubation period for hantavirus is generally two to four weeks but can be as short as one week or as long as eight weeks.
Depending on the type of infection, symptoms may include fever, intense headache, muscle ache, back pain, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, and blurred vision.
In severe cases, the infection can progress to respiratory illness, low blood pressure, and acute kidney failure.
As there is currently no vaccine to prevent hantavirus infection, the center urged seeking early medical attention for supportive care.
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓
