Finland has labeled the illness caused by the Andes strain of hantavirus as a “public health risk” after potential exposure cases were reported, public broadcaster YLE said Tuesday.
The classification enables compensation for individuals required to stay home following possible contact with the virus. Finnish Social Security Minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen noted that the current risk remains limited, describing it as “a very small public health risk at the moment.”
The decision comes after Finland’s Institute for Health and Welfare reported that two people may have been exposed to hantavirus on a flight last month. Globally, the Andes hantavirus outbreak has caused five confirmed cases, including three deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Scientists have identified the rare Andes variant as the cause, which is the only known hantavirus strain capable of spreading between humans, typically through close contact. The WHO said two of the deceased had traveled through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay before boarding the MV Hondius cruise ship linked to the outbreak.
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