The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday, May 8, said it is closely monitoring the developing hantavirus situation linked to the cruise ship Hondius and has begun preparing the country’s laboratories and quarantine systems for possible cases.

Dr. Albert Domingo, the spokesperson of the DOH, said the agency has been monitoring the situation even before it was publicly announced through alerts received from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR) system.

“DOH is monitoring the situation. We are preparing for all eventualities. It doesn’t harm anyone to be ready for any eventualities,” he said during an interview with ANC.

“So, in the past few days since the news broke, and mind you the DOH has been aware even before it was announced because we do get alerts from the WHO, IHR system. We have been monitoring this since last week,” he added.

Domingo underscored that hantavirus is already a known disease and remains relatively rare.

“Hantavirus is not a new virus. It’s been known already. It’s relatively rare,” he said.

He explained that there are two dominant hantavirus species, including the Andes species identified by the WHO among patients from the Hondius cruise ship.

Per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Andes virus is a type of hantavirus that can cause a severe respiratory disease in people, called Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS).

“The virus can spread through contact with rodents, by touching an object with the virus on it, or, rarely, through contact with a sick person who has the virus,” it added.

The DOH said hantavirus symptoms may resemble dengue and leptospirosis, making exposure history important in identifying possible infections.

“So those two species have almost the same manifestation of symptoms. They are similar to dengue, leptospirosis. What are these? Fever, body pains. You can have abdominal pain, headache,” said Domingo.

“The symptoms are flu-like essentially, similar to dengue, leptospirosis. You have high fever, body aches, muscle pains, abdominal pain. You can probably feel tired, lethargic. It’s not specific. It feels like any other disease,” he went on.

Domingo stressed the importance of informing physicians about travel history and possible exposure to rodents or rodent-infested areas.

“That’s why I want to emphasize that just because you see those symptoms doesn’t mean you have the virus. And it’s important in this case that medical history is carefully offered to the physician, that the doctor knows where you have been, what you have been touching, have you been in contact with rats or places where they dwell,” he said.

Also, Domingo clarified that human-to-human transmission associated with the Andes species remains uncommon and requires prolonged close contact.

“We have to clarify that this is rare, and only happens on close, prolonged contact. So you really have to be face to face,” he said.

“You have to be spending maybe 5, 10 minutes or more. And if you’re just passing by, it’s not going to harm you.”

Domingo noted that the DOH has already begun assessing the country’s laboratory readiness following the WHO alerts.

“We have our PCR machines that we used back during the pandemic. We just have to change what you call the primer, which is the barcode that helps us identify the virus,” he said.

Likewise, he noted that electron microscopes in at least three institutions, including the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), may help identify the virus while awaiting specific PCR primers for the Andes species.

“There is also an electron microscope, in 3 institutions at least. One is the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine, one in NKTI,” said Domingo.

The DOH said it is also coordinating with the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) regarding the monitoring of Filipino seafarers aboard the Hondius.

“We have also been coordinating with the Bureau of Quarantine – these are our unsung heroes, quietly protecting our borders 24 hours a day while we sleep,” Domingo said.

It addition, the agency said the 38 Filipino seafarers aboard the ship will undergo strict screening protocols before they are allowed to return home.

“And our kababayans, our 38 seafarers, will be humanely and with dignity screened for the virus,” he said.

As of May 4, Domingo said there were 147 people onboard the Hondius, including three fatalities, none of whom were Filipinos.

“There are 147 people onboard the Hondius as of the update on May 4. Now 3 of those unfortunately expired. None of them were Filipino,” he said.

Domingo also cautioned the public against spreading misinformation that could trigger unnecessary panic.

“We do not need disinformation at this time because it only unduly raises anxiety and panic,” he said.

“Does wrong information change the outlook for the outbreak? It does not. It only increases anxiety levels,” he added.

Also, the DOH urged households to observe proper sanitation and cleaning practices, especially in areas with rodent infestations.

“Please do not dry sweep. Or sa Tagalog, wag natin paalikabukin. We should not allow dust to fly around. It’s better to use a wet rag,” Domingo said.

“Please do not leave food outside because food is what attracts rodents,” he added.

“Cleanliness is the best way to prevent this zoonotic disease from actually affecting us in the household.”