Marilyn Cahatol

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA —  The Department of Health on Friday assured the public that it was monitoring and preparing for any possibility in connection with the hantavirus outbreak.</p><p>“We have been checking on our laboratories. We have the PCR machines, which we used back in the pandemic. We just have to change what you call the primer,” DOH spokesperson Undersecretary Albert Domingo told ANC’s Headstart.</p><p>He said three institutions in the country are also equipped with an electron microscope, which can help identify the virus while waiting for the PCR primer.</p><p>The DOH is coordinating with the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), which is “quietly protecting our borders 24 hours a day while we sleep,&quot; said Domingo. </p><p>He noted that BOQ Director Roberto Salvador, Jr. said the bureau was directly coordinating with its counterparts in other countries through the International Health Regulations (IHR).</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/5/8/who-warns-of-more-hantavirus-cases-in-limited-outbreak-0650">WHO warns of more hantavirus cases in &#x27;limited&#x27; outbreak</a></div><p>Domingo said strict protocols would be in place should the MV Hondius — carrying passengers who contracted the virus — dock in the Canary Islands in Spain. The ship has 38 Filipino crew members.</p><p>&quot;Our kababayans, our 38 seafarers will be humanely and with dignity screened for the virus, for the infection,&quot; he said. </p><p>“Once the authorities there have certified that they are okay, that’s the only time that they will also follow a very strict protocol which will be released by the WHO soon on how they can be flown back safely and again with dignity back to the home country,&quot; he added. </p><p>Latest reports showed that three passengers had died while at least one had been hospitalized. The Department of Migrant Workers earlier said all 38 Filipinos were reportedly not afflicted by the virus.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/7/38-filipino-crew-of-mv-hondius-seek-repatriation-amid-hantavirus-scare-1648">38 Filipino crew of MV Hondius seek repatriation amid hantavirus infections</a></div><div> </div><div><strong>‘NOTHING IS BEING HIDDEN’</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The DOH said all necessary and available information about the virus is shared to the public. The agency said it has yet to see disinformation on the outbreak. </p><p>“Nothing is being hidden, people know what to expect and we are managing risks accordingly,” Domingo said.</p><p>He reminded the public that cleanliness is essential to ensure hantavirus does not enter households.</p><p>“If we are going to clean our surroundings, especially if you suspect that there are rodents, may mga daga sa bahay, and you can see their droppings, please do not dry sweep, or sa tagalog, huwag nating paalikabukan,” he said.</p><p>“You should not allow dust to fly around. It’s actually better to use wet rag. Use gloves on your cleaning and use wet rag to wipe off the excrement of the rats,” he added.</p><p>Hantavirus circulates in rodents and can be deadly when transmitted to humans.</p><p>Hantaviruses are among the pathogens that can cause respiratory and cardiac distress, as well as haemorrhagic fevers.</p><p>There are no vaccines or specific medications to combat hantaviruses, meaning treatment consists solely of attempting to relieve the symptoms.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/5/4/explainer-what-is-hantavirus-1844">EXPLAINER: Spread by rodents, Hantavirus is potentially fatal, with no specific cure</a></div><p>Hantavirus are transmitted to humans through infected wild rodents, such as mice or rats, which shed the virus in their saliva, urine, and droppings.</p><p>A bite, contact with these rodents or their droppings, or breathing in contaminated dust can cause infection.</p><p>The French National Public Health Agency says human infection generally occurs through the inhalation of dust and aerosols contaminated by the excretions of infected animals.</p><p>This is typically &quot;during activities in forests, or in long uninhabited buildings near forests, as well as during activities in rural areas where fields and farms offer a favourable environment for reservoir rodents&quot;, it says.</p><p>The only way to minimise the risk of infection is to avoid contact with rodents and their secretions and excretions.</p><p>The World Health Organization&#x27;s Europe director Hans Kluge said hantavirus infections are &quot;uncommon&quot; and &quot;it is not easily transmitted between people&quot;.</p><p>&quot;The risk to the wider public remains low. There is no need for panic or travel restrictions,&quot; he said Monday.<strong> — With reports from Zen Hernandez, ABS-CBN News and Agence France-Presse</strong></p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/5/8/hantavirus-not-like-covid-doctor-treating-patient-in-netherlands-0724">Hantavirus not like Covid: doctor treating patient in Netherlands</a></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sRUWRdvmTgw?si=jr3TriQwtqLpSP4s" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>The Department of Health on Friday assured the public that it was monitoring and preparing for any possibility in connection with the hantavirus outbreak.</p>

<p>The Department of Health on Friday assured the public that it was monitoring and preparing for any possibility in connection with the hantavirus outbreak.</p>

The Department of Health on Friday assured the public that it was monitoring and preparing for any possibility in connection with the hantavirus outbreak.

DOH: Monitoring, preparations in place for hantavirus

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DOH: Monitoring, preparations in place for hantavirus

Marilyn Cahatol,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 08, 2026 11:17 AM PHT

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Department of Health

hantavirus

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