Health authorities place virus on dangerous diseases list after recent cruise ship outbreak
PUBLISHED : 15 May 2026 at 19:10
Thailand has classified hantavirus as a dangerous communicable disease despite no cases having been detected in the country, saying that any high-risk contacts of infected persons must quarantine for 42 days.
The designation under the Communicable Disease Act 2015 makes hantavirus the 14th disease on the list of dangerous infections.
A number of countries have reviewed and updated their communicable disease protocols after an outbreak on a cruise ship travelling from Argentina captured worldwide attention.
Though Thailand has not yet recorded any confirmed cases, the move was intended to strengthen prevention and preparedness, said Dr Somruek Chungsaman, permanent secretary for the Ministry of Public Health, after chairing a meeting of the National Communicable Disease Committee.
The decision followed expert assessments that the virus poses serious risks, including respiratory and kidney syndromes, and may spread through airborne droplets, with some strains potentially transmissible between humans.
Under the new classification, suspected cases must be reported within three hours and investigated within 12 hours. High-risk contacts must undergo quarantine for 42 days from the last exposure.
Dr Somruek said the measure allows rapid legal action, including isolation and quarantine orders, to strengthen surveillance and control.
Hantavirus disease will be defined by symptoms including fever above 38C, chills, muscle pain, headache, fatigue and gastrointestinal illness such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea.
Severe cases may progress to respiratory failure, pulmonary fluid accumulation, shock, low blood pressure, kidney failure and death.