Health Department urges calm after rare Hantavirus case confirmed in South Africa.
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SOUTH Africans share their thoughts on the hantavirus, reflecting on how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed their perceptions of emerging viruses.
Deenisha Govender.
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Deenisha Govender: “I had heard about hantavirus before, but it always seemed pretty rare. I am not panicking, but after Covid-19, any virus news makes me pay more attention. I just hope health officials stay on top of it early.”
Suhil Singh: “It does worry me a little. We used to think pandemics were once-in-a-lifetime events, and now it feels like anything could spread globally. I have read that hantavirus usually comes from rodents and does not spread easily between people, so that is reassuring.”
Sandisha Govender.
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Sandisha Govender: “I am not really scared of it becoming another pandemic. From what I understand, it is not like Covid-19 where everyone catches it from each other. I think the media sometimes makes people more anxious than necessary.”
Fathima Ahmed: “I would be lying if I said I was not nervous whenever a new virus is mentioned. Covid-19 changed how I think about these things. But I am trying not to jump to conclusions and just follow reliable information instead of social media rumours.”