The World Organisation for Animal Health has released its first comprehensive statement on hantavirus, establishing coordinated surveillance and response protocols for member countries worldwide. This landmark guidance reflects growing international concern over hantavirus as a significant zoonotic disease threat to global health security.
The framework emphasizes a One Health approach, requiring enhanced collaboration between veterinary and public health authorities. WOAH identifies rodent population monitoring as critical to preventing spillover events and identifies specific regional priorities for laboratory capacity building and diagnostic protocol standardization.
With an estimated 45,000 annual cases globally and a 38% mortality rate in untreated cases, the organization stresses that effective hantavirus control demands integrated surveillance of both wildlife reservoirs and human populations. Member nations are urged to establish national reference laboratories capable of confirming cases and conducting genetic sequencing to track viral evolution.
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