Cruise ship hantavirus outbreak sparks global health concern
The World Health Organization has warned that additional hantavirus infections may still emerge following a deadly outbreak linked to the MV Hondius, where three passengers have already died.
Global health officials, however, said they expect the outbreak to remain limited if strict public health measures are maintained.
The outbreak has triggered international concern after passengers aboard the expedition cruise ship were infected with the rare Andes strain of hantavirus, one of the few known variants capable of human-to-human transmission.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that five cases and three suspected infections had been identified so far, including the three fatalities.
“Given the incubation period of the Andes virus, which can be up to six weeks, it’s possible that more cases may be reported,” Tedros said during a media briefing in Geneva.
Health authorities across Europe and other regions have launched tracing efforts after infected or potentially exposed passengers travelled to countries including Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and South Africa.
A Dutch couple who had travelled through South America before boarding the vessel in Ushuaia, Argentina, were among the first confirmed fatalities connected to the outbreak.
Officials in Argentina said investigations are continuing into the source of the infection, with rodent testing planned in Ushuaia, the coastal city from where the ship departed on April 1.
The WHO’s emergency alert and response director Abdi Rahman Mahamud said the situation was serious but likely manageable if countries coordinated effectively.
“It will be a limited outbreak if public health measures are implemented and solidarity shown across all countries,” he said.
Another infected passenger reportedly arrived in Europe on Thursday, while three evacuees had earlier been removed from the ship near Cape Verde for treatment and monitoring.
The Netherlands-based operator Oceanwide Expeditions stated that no symptomatic individuals currently remain onboard as the vessel continues its journey toward Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands.
Hantavirus is a rare but potentially deadly disease commonly spread through contact with infected rodents. It can cause severe respiratory illness, cardiac complications and haemorrhagic fever. There is currently no approved vaccine or specific cure for the disease.
The outbreak has drawn attention globally because the Andes strain can spread between humans, unlike most other hantavirus variants, though experts continue to stress that it remains far less contagious than COVID-19.
US President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the situation and expressed confidence that the outbreak was under control.
“It should be fine, we hope,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
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