India has switched on a nationwide Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory network of 165 laboratories to keep watch for Hantavirus. The surveillance effort works together with ICMR, the National Institute of Virology (NIV) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). The step follows a suspected outbreak on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius near Cape Verde in Africa. Hantavirus is a zoonotic infection passed mainly through the urine, saliva or droppings of infected rodents, and it can cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) and Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS). Human-to-human spread is rare (Andes strain only). No specific vaccine or cure exists, so rodent control and sanitation are key.