In the state of Anzoátegui, located in the eastern part of Venezuela, three people confirmed to have contracted hantavirus have died. This was reported by the country's Ministry of Health.
According to a statement issued by the ministry on July 21, the deaths of two more medical workers in the state of Barinas are not related to the cases in Anzoátegui. The causes of their deaths are currently being investigated.
It is noted that both cases are separate incidents and do not pose a threat to public health.
According to the ministry, hantavirus is mainly transmitted through rodents living in rural and agricultural areas. Infection can usually occur through inhalation of particles of rodent urine, feces, or saliva in enclosed spaces.
"There is no scientific evidence of human-to-human transmission of hantavirus in our country," the ministry statement says.
It is recalled that earlier, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that measures against a hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship had been concluded. In that case, three people died.
According to the CDC, the Andes hantavirus identified in this outbreak is the only known hantavirus that can be transmitted from person to person through close and prolonged contact.
