The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has issued a public health advisory following reports of an ongoing hantavirus cluster linked to cruise ship travel involving multiple countries.
According to the advisory released in Abuja, the incident involves a limited number of confirmed and suspected cases associated with a cruise ship, while investigations and contact tracing continue. The agency said the overall risk to the general public remains low.
Hantaviruses are a group of viruses primarily carried by rodents.
The advisory signed by the Director-General of the NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, said humans can become infected through contact with infected rodents or exposure to their urine, droppings, saliva, or contaminated dust particles.
The NCDC boss stated that symptoms may include fever, fatigue, body aches, headache, and gastrointestinal symptoms, while severe cases may lead to breathing difficulties and respiratory complications.
The agency noted that the current cluster has been linked to the Andes virus strain, for which limited human-to-human transmission has previously been documented, especially through close contact.
It, however, clarified that there is currently no evidence of hantavirus cases in Nigeria, adding that it is closely monitoring the situation and maintaining surveillance for emerging infectious diseases.
As part of preventive measures, the NCDC advised Nigerians to maintain clean environments, prevent rodent infestation, properly store food, safely dispose of waste, avoid contact with rodents and their droppings, and maintain regular hand hygiene and infection prevention practices.
The agency reassured the public that it would continue monitoring global developments and urged citizens to rely only on verified information from official public health authorities to avoid misinformation.
