Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronald E. Georges, is advising members of the public to get their information from reliable sources, especially where Hantavirus is concerned. Photo: Facebook

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronald E. Georges advised people to get their information from the World Health Organisation or the Pan American Health Organisation. Photo: Internet Source

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronald E. Georges, said all countries in the Caribbean report to CARPHA, and the information is being synthesised into what the risk level is for the Caribbean. Photo: CARPHA

Hantavirus, though rare, is a potentially serious disease primarily transmitted through contact with infected rodents or their droppings, urine, or saliva. Human-to-human transmission is extremely uncommon.

The Ministry of Health and Social Development, in a release earlier this month, said it is closely monitoring a reported hantavirus cluster linked to a cruise vessel outside of the Caribbean region. The public was assured that the current risk to the Virgin Islands (VI) remains low. 

Incredulous claims designed to inflame

However, during a GIS Report, Health Bytes: Hantavirus, Dr Georges gave a few tips to look out for when information is forwarded or is seen on social media. “First thing I would look for if you get a forward of a graphic on WhatsApp, or let’s say a video, has the person or the entity producing this information even identified themselves.”

He added that a lot of the graphics and videos being circulated consist of someone dressed in a suit or looking like a doctor, but they do not introduce themselves or indicate who or what they are affiliated with. “That’s the first sign.”

Dr Georges also advised, “The other thing I’d be concerned about is if you see incredulous claims. So right away, those are obviously designed to inflame and to get some controversy going.”

Get information from reputable sources

The Chief Medical Officer suggested that people get their information from “very reputable sources” like the World Health Organisation (WHO), Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the region’s own Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA). 

“We look at what CARPHA is putting out and what PAHO is putting out. Because CARPHA, for example, is monitoring everything; all countries report to CARPHA, they’re monitoring cruise ships, they’re monitoring airplaines, all that information is being synthesised into what’s the risk level for the Caribbean.”