The 48^th scientific meeting of the Pasteur Institute of Iran, held in collaboration with the Infectious Diseases Department of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, took place on May 19, 2026, at the Tajrish branch of the institute. The session focused on “A Review of the Epidemiology, Current Status, and Health Consequences of Hantaviruses” and was attended by faculty members, researchers, students, and experts. Dr. Saber Esmaeili, Head of the Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases Research Center at the Pasteur Institute of Iran, opened the meeting. He discussed the recent hantavirus outbreak linked to a Dutch cruise ship and highlighted challenges such as infodemics and misinformation during public health emergencies.

Prof. Ehsan Mostafavi, Epidemiologist and Director-General of the Pasteur Institute of Iran, was the first online speaker. He emphasized the potential of hantaviruses to cause future epidemics or pandemics due to their zoonotic origin, RNA nature, mutation capacity, and recent reports of human-to-human transmission. He referred to the cruise ship outbreak originating from Argentina, noting that the WHO classified the risk as low. He also mentioned that Iran has been conducting hantavirus research since 2013 at the Institute’s Arbovirus Laboratory. Dr. Mohammad Reza Salehi, Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, explained in his online lecture the clinical differences between Old World hantaviruses (Asia, Europe), which cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, and New World hantaviruses (Americas), which lead to severe cardiopulmonary syndrome with 30–40% mortality.

Dr. Fahimeh Bagheri Amiri, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Head of the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department at the Pasteur Institute of Iran, addressed epidemiological factors, emphasizing active rodent surveillance. She assessed the pandemic potential of hantaviruses as low, though respiratory transmission and population immunity gaps remain relevant. Dr. Mohammad Hassan Pouriayevali, Assistant Professor of Medical Virology and faculty member of the Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases Research Center, discussed virology and diagnostics. He noted that about 40 hantavirus species exist (22 pathogenic), with an estimated 200,000 annual cases worldwide, half of which go unreported. Diagnostic challenges include non-specific symptoms and a short viremia period. The meeting concluded with a call for cross-sectoral collaboration, enhanced surveillance of emerging diseases, and continued research on rodent-borne infections.