EU Council Presidency activates Hantavirus monitoring mechanism

Brussels – The Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union has decided to activate the Council’s integrated mechanism for the political response to crises (Integrated Political Crisis Response, IPCR) of the Council, to facilitate the sharing of information to actively monitor Hantavirus diseases, which are viral infections of varying severity, transmitted to humans by rodents, both wild and domestic. The story began on 2 May, when the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) was notified of an outbreak of severe respiratory illnesses – not yet identified as Hantavirus diseases – on board the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, where people from twenty-three countries were present. On 12 May, the ECDC reported eight confirmed cases.

The IPCR is a sectoral mechanism that is activated in the event of a crisis or disaster to facilitate rapid and coordinated decision-making. In this way, the Council Presidency coordinates a political response, bringing together EU institutions, Member States, and other stakeholders. For Hantaviruses, the “information exchange” procedure has been adopted between Member States and EU institutions: the IPCR will serve as a central platform for gathering relevant information and details of measures in place, with the aim of enhancing situational awareness and supporting preparedness activities.

Based on the evidence available to date, the ECDC considers the risk of infection for the European population to be “very low.” This is due to the infection prevention and control measures currently in place and the difficulty of transmission between people. Information exchange and coordination activities are already underway at the EU level and mainly concern the sectors involved, namely civil protection and healthcare systems.