Three people infected with hantavirus have died in Venezuela's eastern Anzoátegui state, the country's Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry added that two other deaths involving healthcare workers in Barinas state are not linked to the cases in Anzoátegui and remain under investigation. It said the incidents are isolated and do not pose a risk to the wider community.
Public health measures
"The virus is transmitted from rodents in rural and agricultural areas, primarily through the inhalation of particles from urine, faeces or saliva in enclosed spaces," the ministry said in a statement. It added that there is no scientific evidence of person-to-person transmission in Venezuela.
Last month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced it had ended the public health measures put in place following a hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship, in which three people died.
The Andes virus strain responsible for that outbreak is the only known hantavirus capable of spreading from person to person through close and prolonged contact.
Source: CNA
