Goa, May 8 -- Two Indian nationals aboard a cruise ship have reportedly tested positive for hantavirus, prompting brief concern, but health authorities have clarified that there is no immediate public health threat to India.

Dr Naveen Kumar, Director of the ICMR-National Institute of Virology, said the cases appear to be isolated and there is no evidence of community transmission. "The reported hantavirus cases appear to be isolated ones and there is no immediate public health threat to India," he said, adding that human-to-human spread is extremely rare.

According to health experts and the WHO, hantavirus infections are generally linked to exposure to infected rodents rather than person-to-person transmission. The virus spreads mainly ...