Infected on a cruise ship First hantavirus case in Switzerland - man undergoing treatment in Zurich
A case of hantavirus has been confirmed in Switzerland: A man is being treated in Zurich after presumably becoming infected on a cruise in South America.
06.05.2026, 10:23
06.05.2026, 15:35
SDA
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- A man in Switzerland has tested positive for hantavirus and is being treated in isolation at Zurich University Hospital.
- He was probably infected on a cruise in South America; his wife shows no symptoms and is in isolation as a precaution.
- The FOPH classifies the risk to the population as low and further cases are considered unlikely.
In Switzerland, a man has tested positive for hantavirus. He is currently being treated at Zurich University Hospital, as announced by the Federal Office of Public Health on Wednesday.
He is a man who was previously a passenger on the cruise ship on which several cases of hantavirus occurred.
According to the FOPH, the man had returned from a trip to South America together with his wife at the end of April. After showing symptoms of the disease, he went to the university hospital, where he was immediately isolated.
A test in the reference laboratory at Geneva University Hospital (HUG) confirmed an infection with the virus. The man's wife did not show any symptoms, but went into self-isolation as a precaution.
The cantonal authorities are currently investigating whether the patient has had contact with other people.
Low risk for Switzerland according to the FOPH
The European variant of the hantavirus is transmitted through excretions from infected rodents. However, in the case of the variant discovered in men, the Andes virus, human-to-human transmission has also been observed in rare cases of close contact. The FOPH considers the occurrence of further cases in Switzerland to be unlikely and classifies the risk to the population as low.
Hantavirus is rare in Switzerland. In recent years, between zero and six cases have been reported annually. The majority of these infections were due to infection abroad.
