Russian Authorities Monitor Hantavirus Infection Situation

Rospotrebnadzor is monitoring passenger infections following recent reports of hantavirus. Rospotrebnadzor added that a vaccine for Hantavirus does not currently exist. The World Health Organization previously confirmed the deaths of three passengers and described the infection as potentially dangerous. Russian health authorities are investigating a hantavirus outbreak affecting several regions including Pskov, Khabarovsk, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Voronezh, Kaliningrad, and Kemerovo. Clinical symptoms are reported to resemble acute pneumonia, making visual diagnosis difficult. Diagnosis currently requires polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Rospotrebnadzor has sent an inquiry to relevant Dutch authorities regarding the hantavirus situation. Rospotrebnadzor has issued a warning regarding the risk of contracting hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. The agency noted that rusty voles and other rodents can transmit the virus. Officials advised that deconserved summer houses must be thoroughly disinfected, including floors and tables, as the virus can persist on contaminated surfaces. Alexander Ginzburg, scientific director of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, stated that the development of a hantavirus vaccine in Russia could take approximately six months. He added that Russian scientists possess the necessary knowledge for this, but related developments have not yet been carried out.