As Hantavirus Returns To Spotlight, A Look Back At Suspected Mumbai 2016 Case Involving Death Of 12-Year-Old

Mumbai: International concern has grown over a reported Hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, prompting health alerts in several countries. According to reports, multiple passengers fell ill during the voyage, while at least three people, including a Dutch couple, reportedly died after developing symptoms associated with the virus.

As concerns rise globally over the recent Hantavirus case linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, attention has shifted to Mumbai's last reported case of the rare infection. Nearly a decade ago, a 12-year-old boy from Colaba had died after reportedly testing positive for the virus.

Mumbai's 2016 Hantavirus Case

In 2016, Mumbai reported its first suspected hantavirus-related death after a 12-year-old boy from Colaba succumbed, reportedly to the infection. The child was brought to Mumbai's Bhatia Hospital for complaints of breathlessness, cough, fever, and dropping platelet count. Tests were conducted for dengue, malaria and leptospirosis, but all tests came back negative. According to an HT report, BMC officials had confirmed that the child's blood tested positive for Hantavirus after being tested at a local laboratory, however, results were awaited from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. Following the incident, the BMC had also carried out rodent control and extermination measures in the locality as a precautionary step. Not just this, the civic teams also conducted tests on about 8000 people in the slum where the 12-year-old lived.

What Is Hantavirus?

According to the World Health Organisation, Hantavirus is a group of zoonotic viruses carried by rodents that can cause severe disease in humans. Infection in people can result in severe illness and often death, although the diseases vary by type of virus and geographical location.

Symptoms Of Hantavirus

The health organisation stated that early diagnosis of the infection can be challenging because early symptoms are common with other febrile or respiratory illnesses, such as influenza, COVID-19, viral pneumonia, leptospirosis, dengue or sepsis. A careful patient history is therefore essential, with particular attention to possible rodent exposure, occupational and environmental risks, travel history, and contact with known cases in areas where hantaviruses are present.

Hantavirus Prevention

WHO has recommended keeping living and work spaces clean, sealing openings where rodents can enter, storing food securely, using safe, clean methods of rodent droppings when present. Symptoms usually begin between one and eight weeks after exposure, depending on the type of virus, and typically include fever, headache, muscle aches and gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting.