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The Zimbabwean government has announced the planned repatriation of three local health workers from Ascension Island, who were identified as contacts of a confirmed hantavirus case, the Minister of Health and Child Care, Hon. Dr. Douglas T. Mombeshora, has confirmed.
The three asymptomatic individuals, all medical personnel, tested negative for hantavirus via PCR test on Sunday, 10 May 2026. Their evacuation was necessitated by limited isolation and medical management capacity on the island.
The Ministry outlined that the returnees will undergo strict health screening upon arrival at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport. They will remain under active monitoring for 45 days, the recommended observation period for hantavirus infection.
“Appropriate infection prevention and control measures will be implemented throughout the transfer and monitoring processes. Arrangements are being made for the travellers to remain together in a designated private isolation facility during the quarantine period,” the Minister stated.
The Ministry stressed that the virus does not spread through casual person-to-person contact.
“Hantavirus is not transmitted through casual person-to-person contact in most cases, and all precautionary measures are being implemented in line with international public health protocols,” said the minister of health.
Hantavirus is a disease carried by rodents. The way it spreads is specific, and casual contact with people or everyday activities in Zimbabwe does not put you at risk. The main route is breathing in contaminated dust.
The virus lives in urine, droppings, and saliva of infected rats and mice. When dried droppings, urine, or nesting materials are disturbed, the virus becomes airborne as dust.
Infection happens when you inhale this dust, usually while cleaning sheds, grain stores, or buildings, or areas with heavy rodent activity.
You cannot catch it from talking to or touching or caring for an infected person. It’s not spread by mosquitoes, ticks, or flies. It’s also not spread through food cooked properly, water, or casual contact in markets, schools, offices, or public transport.
“At present, there is no indication that the travellers pose a public health risk,” Dr. Mombeshora reassured Zimbabweans, adding that all precautionary measures align with international health protocols.
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