Rome Hospital Receives Samples from Italian Man Suspected of Hantavirus

(MENAFN) Biological samples taken from a 25-year-old Italian man showing symptoms consistent with suspected hantavirus infection were transferred to a hospital in Rome on Tuesday, according to reports.

Sources cited in media coverage said the man had been traveling on a KLM flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam, which also briefly carried a woman who later died after contracting hantavirus. Authorities are reportedly reviewing the possible exposure link between the cases.

The man had already been placed under quarantine at the time the samples were sent for further analysis, according to the same reports. Hospital officials also reportedly rejected earlier claims suggesting that he would be physically transferred to the facility for additional testing and medical evaluation.

The developments come amid continued concern surrounding a hantavirus outbreak connected to the cruise ship MV Hondius, where multiple infections have been recorded along with three fatalities.

Hantavirus is a rare viral disease typically transmitted through contact with infected rodents or their droppings. However, the specific strain involved in the current outbreak, Andes virus, is also known to spread between humans through prolonged close contact, particularly in enclosed environments.

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