Hantavirus: A Silent Threat to Global Public Health – Ararile

Hantavirus: A Silent Threat to Global Public Health.

By Ararile Divine Oghenekobiro

Health experts in Nigeria have urged authorities to strengthen disease surveillance and laboratory readiness for hantavirus, cautioning that limited testing capacity may hinder the early detection of cases.

Hantavirus, a rodent-borne zoonotic disease transmitted through contact with infected rodents, has posed health risks in several parts of the world, raising concerns among public health experts.

Human cases are most commonly reported in rural settings, such as forests, fields, and farms, where rodents are present, and opportunities for exposure are greater, and countries with prior records are more closely monitored in order to protect unexposed populations.

While the virus is not currently causing a major global outbreak, empirical evidence suggests that hantavirus already exists in parts of Africa.

According to the World Health Organization, the risk to the global population posed by this event is low and is closely monitored to understand the epidemiological situation and update the risk assessment.

Providing expert insight into the matter, a Professor of Virology and former President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Oyewale Tomori, said:
“Let nobody tell you we are not at risk. We are. And all we need to do is not to panic, but to prepare. And by preparation, I mean providing the diagnostic reagents for the labs that we have set up”.

He added that “Nigeria remains at risk of hantavirus infection due to its vulnerability to rodent-borne diseases and increasing global interactions, urging authorities to strengthen preparedness rather than panic”. Tomori further explained that hantavirus is a rodent-borne infection spread through exposure to aerosolised urine and faeces of infected rodents.

Professor of Medical Virology at the University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Marycelin Baba, said:
“Nigeria cannot confidently claim the virus is absent because surveillance and testing remain inadequate. You cannot say a disease does not exist if you are not looking for it”.

She stated that “although the country possesses laboratories with PCR testing capability, the absence of specific reagents and primers required to detect hantavirus could hinder early identification of cases if the virus emerges in Nigeria”.

One of Nigeria’s major challenges is lack of laboratory testing materials which can help differentiate its diagnosis from other respiratory infections such as COVID-19 amongst others.

As ongoing researches are being conducted by WHO countries and partners collaborative efforts are made to strengthen surveillance, laboratory capacity, risk communication and community engagement, early detection, patient care and outbreak response for hantavirus infections. This includes developing and updating evidence based guidance on diagnosis, case management, infection prevention and control, and contact tracing.

However, Citizens are encouraged to help prevent the penetration of this virus by becoming more cautious in recent times to adopt safer food storage practices and reduce contact with rodents, the primary carriers of the disease, as part of efforts to prevent a possible outbreak.

As health authorities continue to monitor the situation, experts stress that public awareness, early detection, and strengthened laboratory capacity remain essential to preventing and responding effectively to potential hantavirus cases.