A rare strain of the virus has killed three people linked to a cruise ship outbreak in recent weeks<\/p>\n
Russia has stepped up border controls to prevent the potential spread of the deadly Andes hantavirus strain, the country\u2019s public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, has said.
\nThe rare strain of the virus \u2013 typically spread through contact with infected rodent droppings, urine or saliva \u2013 has been linked to at least three deaths connected to a Dutch-flagged cruise ship since April 11. A total of 11 infection cases, including the deaths, have been confirmed among the ship\u2019s 147 passengers.
\nThe outbreak was discussed during a Rospotrebnadzor video conference on Tuesday. Hantaviruses are a long- and well-studied group of natural infections, the agency said in a follow-up statement on Wednesday, adding that no outbreaks have been recorded in Russia this year.
\nThe Andes strain is predominantly found in the New World, and is carried by the long-tailed pygmy rice rat, which is indigenous to Argentina and Chile, the watchdog said. Russia\u2019s climate is unfavorable for the virus, reducing the risk of introduction into the country.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
More cases of hantavirus coming \u2013 WHO chief<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, as a precaution, \u201cRospotrebnadzor \u2013 together with the Russian Border Service \u2013 has taken measures to strengthen border controls,\u201d it said. Automated information systems are being used at the border to assess and minimize risks, it added.
\nHantaviruses typically do not spread from human-to-human contact, except for the rare Andes strain, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Precautionary measures to take against infection include avoiding contact with rodent droppings, storing food safely and taking extra hygiene measures, such as keeping homes clean and handwashing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A rare strain of the virus has killed three people linked to a cruise ship outbreak in recent weeks Russia has stepped up border controls to prevent the potential spread…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35415,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t