Health officials in St Vincent and the Grenadines have dismissed rumours circulating on social media claiming that a person diagnosed with hantavirus in the country had left an isolation facility.

In a statement issued on May 30, the Ministry of Health, Wellness, Environmental Health and Energy said there have been no cases of hantavirus recorded in the country and no individual has been placed in quarantine and subsequently left an isolation facility.

“The Ministry continues to work diligently with local, regional and international partners to monitor emerging and re-emerging public health threats. Surveillance measures remain active at the nation’s ports of entry, including seaports and airports, as part of ongoing efforts to protect the health and well-being of all residents and visitors,” the ministry said.

The ministry urged members of the public to refrain from sharing false information and encouraged them to verify health-related claims through official government channels and press releases.

The clarification comes amid international concern over a recent hantavirus outbreak linked to the M/V Hondius cruise ship.

The outbreak was first detected among passengers travelling aboard the vessel after it departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 with 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries.

The first reported infections involved an elderly Dutch couple who contracted the virus during a bird-watching trip through Argentina and Chile. The husband died aboard the ship on April 11. 

His wife later disembarked on the island of St Helena on April 24 and travelled to South Africa, where she died two days later at a clinic in Johannesburg.

A German woman also died aboard the cruise ship on May 2.

There have been 13 confirmed cases.

Hantavirus is primarily transmitted to humans through contact with the urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents. Infection can also occur through rodent bites, although this is less common.

According to health authorities, person-to-person transmission has only been documented with the Andes virus strain in the Americas and remains rare. When it does occur, it is typically associated with close and prolonged contact, particularly among household members or intimate partners.