Is there hantavirus in the Middle East or Arab countries?

There is no documented endemic hantavirus circulation in the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen) or in the Levant (Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Israel). Limited serological surveys in Egypt and Turkey have detected hantavirus antibodies in commensal rodents (likely Seoul virus from Rattus norvegicus), but no clinically significant human cases linked to those reservoirs have been reported. The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) does not list hantavirus among priority emerging zoonoses for the region. The MV Hondius 2026 outbreak does not currently involve any Middle Eastern country in confirmed-case or contact-tracing lists. Risk to residents and travelers within the region remains very low, including for pilgrims attending Hajj or Umrah in Saudi Arabia, where the primary health concerns remain meningococcal disease, MERS-CoV, respiratory infections, and heat illness.