South African rodents are not known to carry hantavirus, health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi told parliament on Wednesday, seeking to calm fears after a deadly outbreak linked to a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Motsoaledi briefed MPs on the hantavirus cluster after reports that two passengers had died and another was critically ill following suspected exposure on board the vessel. There are now eight suspected cases linked to the outbreak after Switzerland confirmed a man had contacted a Zurich hospital.
Hantaviruses are a group of viruses primarily spread by rodents, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Humans can become infected by inhaling contaminated air or, less commonly, through bites from infected rodents.
During the briefing, EFF MP Naledi Chirwa raised concerns about the potential risk to communities living in rodent-infested areas such as Alexandra, north of Johannesburg.
“Do we have adequate systems and health response mechanisms, not only for this particular case but domestically? In areas exposed to large rodent populations, such as Alexandra, what is the risk?” Chirwa asked.
Our rats do not carry species of hantavirus. While we do have significant rodent problems linked to waste management and environmental conditions, testing conducted in Southern Africa has not identified hantavirus in local rodent populations.
— Prof Lucille Blumberg, epidemiologist
“It is important for the department to put the panic at ease with facts, because we are getting a lot of information coming in and out.”
Motsoaledi said there had been no recorded cases of hantavirus on the African continent and no evidence linking local rodents to the disease.
“I stand to be corrected, but from the information available, South African rats do not carry hantavirus. It is a virus more commonly found in North and South America, Europe and parts of Asia, including India. I am not aware of any case that has ever been detected in South Africa in rodents,” he said.
He said while rodent infestations remain a serious public health concern, citing past incidents where toxic substances used to control rats caused harm, hantavirus has not been implicated locally.
Epidemiologist Prof Lucille Blumberg, former deputy director at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), echoed the minister’s remarks.
“Our rats do not carry species of hantavirus,” she said. “While we do have significant rodent problems linked to waste management and environmental conditions, testing conducted in Southern Africa has not identified hantavirus in local rodent populations.”
TimesLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.