About HANTAVIRUS

Hantaviruses are viruses that can be transmitted between animals and humans primarily carried by wild rodents. People are infected by inhaling aerosolised particles from the urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents, or through direct contact with contaminated surfaces, food, or water. The strain in the current outbreak is the Andes virus, the only Hantavirus known to spread between people, and only through close, prolonged contact such as among household members or healthcare workers.

Hantavirus symptoms appear 1–8 weeks after exposure and may include fever, chills, headache, severe muscle aches, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.

In severe cases, the illness rapidly progresses to cough, shortness of breath, respiratory distress, and shock. Because early signs resemble influenza, malaria, and COVID-19, clinicians should take a careful exposure history when assessing unexplained febrile illness.

Rwanda has no direct epidemiological link to the MV Hondius.

The Ministry of health through RBC has activated the following measures:

• Enhanced surveillance for clusters of unexplained fever with respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms.
• Reinforced screening and traveller history-taking at Kigali International Airport and land borders.
• Laboratory readiness with the National Reference Laboratory and WHO partners.
• Clinical sensitisation on case definitions, isolation precautions, and supportive care.
• One Health coordination with Rwanda Development Board, and the Ministry of Environment for rodent and wildlife surveillance.

Risk communication in Kinyarwanda, English, and French through Community Health Workers, local leaders, and the media.

There is no specific cure or widely available vaccine for Hantavirus. Therefore, rodent control and safe cleaning are the strongest protection mechanisms:

• Rodent-proof your spaces by blocking entry points and keeping food, waste, and storage areas clean.
• Guard food and water by keeping them covered and washing hands before eating and after cleaning.
• Wear protective gear (gloves, masks, boots) when handling rodents or contaminated environments.

Seek care quickly for fever or breathing problems within 8 weeks of travel, and share your travel history.

Anyone with sudden high fever, severe muscle aches, abdominal symptoms, or difficulty breathing especially after recent travel or rodent exposure should visit the nearest health centre or District Hospital without delay and disclose any travel or exposure history. Self-medication, particularly with antibiotics, delays diagnosis and may worsen outcomes.
Community surveillance is the backbone of Rwanda’s public health security. Call the toll-free hotline 144, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to report:

• Unexplained clusters of fever, respiratory, or gastrointestinal illness in a household, school, workplace, or community.
• Sudden unexplained deaths, especially in persons with recent travel or rodent exposure.
• Unusual rodent die-offs, infestations, or wildlife events that may pose a public health risk.
• Questions or rumours circulating in the community about Hantavirus or other emerging diseases.

Hantavirus ni indwara iterwa na virusi zikunze kuba mu ngugunnyi/inkegesi ( rodents) cyane cyane imbeba. Abantu bashobora kwandura binyuze mu:

• Guhumeka umwuka wandujwe n’inkari, ibisagazwa, cyangwa amacandwe y’ingugunnyi/Inkegesi
• Gukora ahantu handuye umuntu akikora ku munwa, ku zuru, cyangwa mu maso;
• Kurya cyangwa kunywa ibiribwa n’amazi byanduye;

Ubwoko bwa virusi yagaragaye muri iki cyorezo bwitwa Andes virus. Ni bwo bwoko bwonyine bwa Hantavirus buzwi bushobora kwandura hagati y’abantu, n’ubwo biba gake cyane kandi bigasaba kuba abantu bicaranye umwanya muremure cyane kandi begeranye.

Ibimenyetso bishobora kugaragara hagati y’icyumweru 1 n’ibyumweru 8 nyuma yo guhura n’iyi virusi, harimo:

• Kugira umuriro mwinshi no gutitira
• Kubabara umutwe
• Kubabara imikaya no mu ngingo
• Umunaniro
• Kuribwa mu nda
• Kugira isesemi, Guhitwa no Kuruka.

Igihe uburwayi bwakomeye, umuntu ashobora kugira:

• Inkorora
• Guhumeka nabi
• Kubabara mu gatuza
• Indwara zikomeye z’ubuhumekero.

Kubera ko ibi bimenyetso bishobora gusa n’iby’ibicurane (influenza/grippe), malariya cyangwa COVID-19, ni ingenzi kwihutira kujya kwa muganga igihe umuntu arwaye.

Kugeza ubu, mu Rwanda nta muntu uragaragaraho cyangwa ukekwaho indwara ya Hantavirus.

Minisiteri y’Ubuzima ibinyujije mu Kigo Gishinzwe Ubuzima mu Rwanda (RBC) yafashe ingamba zo gukumira no gukurikirana iyi ndwara, harimo:

• Gukaza ibikorwa ryo gusuzuma indwara zidasanzwe zirangwa n’umuriro mwinshi hamwe n’ indwara zo mu buhumekero
• Gukaza igenzura n’isuzuma ku bantu bakora ingendo ku mipaka no ku bibuga by’indege
• Kongera ubushobozi bwo gupima indwara muri laboratwari
• Guhugura no gukangurira abakozi b’ubuzima uburyo bwo kuyitahura hakiri kare no kuyivura
• Gukomeza ubufatanye n’izindi nzego (One Health approach) mu gukurikirana ingugunnyi/ inkegesi n’izindi nyamaswa zo mu gasozi.

Kugeza ubu nta muti wihariye cyangwa urukingo ruraboneka rwa Hantavirus. Kwirinda ni bwo buryo bwiza bwo kuyirwanya.

Abaturwanda barasabwa:

• Kugira isuku mu ngo, aho babika ibiribwa n’aho batuye
• Gufunga imyenge n’ahandi ingugunnyi/inkegesi zishobora kunyura zinjira
• Kubika neza ibiribwa n’amazi;
• Gukaraba intoki kenshi
• Kwirinda gukora ku ngugunnyi/inkegesi ndetse n’ibyo zashigaje
• Kwambara udupfukamunwa n’uturindanyoki igihe cyo gusukura ahantu haba ingugunnyi
• Kwihutira kujya kwa muganga igihe umuntu agaragaje ibimenyetso, cyane cyane nyuma yo gukora urugendo cyangwa guhura n’ingugunnyi/Inkegesi.

Ihutire ku ivuriro rikwegereye niba ugaragaje:

• Umuriro mwinshi
• Kubabara cyane umubiri wose
• Guhumeka nabi
• Cyangwa uribwa mu nda bihoraho cyane cyane igihe wahuye n’ingugunnyi/Inkegesi cyangwa uvuye mu rugendo ahagaragaye icyorezo.
• Irinde kwivura cyangwa gutinda kujya kwa muganga.

Uko watanga amakuru
Uruhare rwawe ni ingenzi mu gukumira no kurwanya ibyorezo. Hamagara umurongo 114 utange amakuru igihe ubonye ibi bikurikira:

• Abantu benshi bafite uburwayi budasanzwe
• Impfu zitunguranye zidasobanutse;
• Ubwiyongere cg impfu bidasanzwe by’ingugunnyi/Inkegesi
• Impungenge cyangwa ibihuha bijyanye na Hantavirus.