health
National Academy of Medicine denies a health alert for hantavirus in Venezuela
The National Academy of Medicine reports that there is no national health alert for hantavirus and assures that it does not spread easily
TL;DR
- No national health alert for hantavirus in Venezuela.
- Hantavirus does not spread easily between people, unlike COVID-19.
- Preventive measures are recommended at Maiquetía International Airport for travelers from South America.
- There is no current evidence of hantavirus circulating in Venezuela, but travelers from endemic South American countries are at risk.
- The Andes strain of hantavirus, which can transmit between humans, is the only documented one.
- Human-to-human transmission requires very close contact, such as face-to-face proximity, with exposure to saliva or respiratory secretions.
- The risk of transmission is considered very low, even lower than for measles.
- There are low vaccination coverage levels for measles (around 50%) and yellow fever (around 70%) in Venezuela, prompting calls for immunization campaigns.