Patient with a hantavirus infection being treated in hospital
Bern, 06.05.2026 — One person with a hantavirus infection is currently being treated at the University Hospital Zurich (USZ). The patient is male and returned to Switzerland after travelling on the cruise ship on which there were a number of hantavirus cases. The USZ is prepared to deal with such cases, is able to care for the patient, and guarantee the safety of staff and all patients. There is currently no risk to the Swiss public.
One person has tested positive for hantavirus in Switzerland. The man had returned from a trip to South America with his wife at the end of April. Having noticed symptoms, he telephoned his GP and went to the University Hospital Zurich (USZ) for further assessment. There, he was immediately placed in isolation. A test that was carried out at the reference laboratory at the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) revealed a positive result for hantavirus. It concerns the Andes virus, a hantavirus that occurs in South America. Unlike the European hantaviruses, which are transmitted through excretions of infected rodents, for the American hantavirus variant, person-to-person transmission has also been documented in rare cases. However, transmission only occurs through close contact. The FOPH therefore considers the occurrence of further cases in Switzerland unlikely. The risk to the public in Switzerland is low.
The patient’s wife accompanied him on the trip. She has not yet shown any symptoms but is self-isolating as a precaution. The cantonal authorities are currently investigating whether the patient came into contact with other people during the infectious period. Appropriate safety measures are in place at the USZ for the patient's treatment. The USZ is the reference hospital for such diseases.
The FOPH is in close contact with other bodies, such as the Zurich cantonal authorities, Zurich and Geneva university hospitals and the WHO, is coordinating with them on an ongoing basis, and is monitoring developments closely.
Hantavirus fever is rare in Switzerland. In recent years there have been between 0 and 6 reported cases a year. Of these few cases, the vast majority are attributable to infections acquired abroad.
See also: IDD - Infectious Diseases Dashboard
Further information
For questions on patient treatment
University Hospital Zurich, Media office, medien@usz.ch, +41 44 255 86 20
For questions on the reference laboratory
Geneva University Hospitals, presse-hug@hug.ch, +41 22 372 37 37