RismadarVoice Reporters
May 9, 2026
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has intensified national disease surveillance and public health monitoring following reports of a small cluster of Hantavirus cases linked to international cruise ship travel involving multiple countries.
The agency’s Director-General, Jide Idris, said the reported outbreak consists of a limited number of confirmed and suspected infections associated with a cruise vessel.
He noted that health authorities across affected countries are currently conducting investigations and contact tracing to establish the full scope of exposure.
Despite the development, the NCDC reassured the public that no case of hantavirus has been confirmed in Nigeria. It stressed that, based on current assessments, the risk of importation and local transmission remains low.
Hantaviruses are primarily carried by rodents and can spread to humans through direct contact with infected animals or indirectly via inhalation of particles from contaminated urine, saliva, or droppings. Health experts warn that infections can range from mild illness to severe respiratory complications, depending on the strain.
According to the agency, Nigeria’s national surveillance and epidemic intelligence systems are actively tracking global infectious disease trends, with particular attention to zoonotic diseases that can cross from animals to humans.
The NCDC urged citizens to adopt preventive public health practices, including maintaining clean environments, proper waste disposal, and measures aimed at reducing rodent infestation in homes and communities.
It also called on the public to rely strictly on verified information from official health channels, warning that the circulation of unconfirmed reports could trigger unnecessary panic.
