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"Hantavirus is in Albania"/ Expert sounds the alarm: Here's how it was introduced!
2026-05-10 13:16:33 / AKTUALITET
Public health expert, Erion Dasho , has raised concerns that hantavirus is present in Albania.
According to Dasho, hantaviruses constitute a large family of viruses with various clinical consequences in humans.
He explains that the strain known as "Andean hantavirus" has circulated mainly in South America and is characterized by initial transmission from rodents to humans, but in certain cases it can also be passed from human to human.
"This is not something new, it has been observed for more than 10 years in Chile and Argentina, where patients have also infected doctors who have not respected protective measures," he said.
Dasho emphasizes that cases in Albania are sporadic and very rare.
According to him, there was an outbreak in the country in the 1980s, while currently most cases are treated as common viruses.
However, he warns that in cases with complications, hantavirus can be aggressive and have a higher mortality rate compared to other European countries.
According to the expert, one of the main sources of infection is contact with rodents, especially field mice, as well as their feces and urine.
When these dry and turn into dust, the particles can be inhaled through the respiratory tract.
He adds that other ways of infection include being bitten by rodents or consuming food contaminated by them.
"Hantaviruses are a large family of viruses with various clinical consequences in humans. The hantavirus in question is known as the Andean virus because it has circulated freely in South America. The characteristic of hantaviruses is that they can be transmitted from rodents to humans. The Andean hantavirus also has the possibility of being transmitted from human to human. This is not something new, it has been observed for more than 10 years in Chile and Argentina, the areas where it circulates. Patients have infected doctors who have provided care without respecting the measures.
Cases in Albania are sporadic, they can be counted on the fingers of one hand. There was an outbreak in the 80s, but they are currently very rare. Most cases pass as a common virus. But in cases with complications, the variants transmitted in Albania are aggressive and have a higher mortality rate compared to the hantaviruses that are in Germany or other countries. The bad luck of the Balkans is that the hantavirus that affects small field mice, which has a "A yellow mark on the neck and is also known as the yellow field rat, becomes a carrier of the Belgrade hantavirus and has a high mortality rate when complicated by pulmonary complications. This virus has affected Albania, it has been active for several decades. It only depends on whether citizens have contact with rat feces and urine. When they are not cleaned and dried, they then turn into dust and the particles can be taken through the respiratory tract. Other variants are from rodent bites or when their feces contaminate food," he said.
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