Advice on laboratory testing of Andes virus (ANDV) for high-risk contacts under the MV Hondius outbreak

The aim of this document is to support informed decision-making around testing, with a focus on the potential benefits, limitations and consequences of testing asymptomatic high-risk contacts, based on the available scientific evidence. This document does not prescribe a single approach and is intended to help national public health authorities decide if, when, and how laboratory testing could be used in this context, considering the local epidemiological situation, resources and public health policies. This document complements case finding and contact tracing activities as well as guidelines on contact management [1], and assumes regular and active symptom monitoring.

In this document, ECDC provides the following support to countries in the decision-making process:

• Recommendations for testing symptomatic and asymptomatic contacts;
• Advantages and disadvantages of PCR testing for ANDV in asymptomatic high-risk contacts from the MV Hondius outbreak;
• A decision tree with more information on the testing strategy proposed.