Cruise Ship Outbreak Hantavirus ‘Not the Start of an Epidemic’ (WHO)
The World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that the hantavirus outbreak reported aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, which has claimed three lives, does not constitute “the start of an epidemic” or “the start of a pandemic.”
“This is not the start of an epidemic. This is not the start of a pandemic,” Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of the WHO department for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, told reporters in Geneva. She added that the outbreak highlighted the importance of investing in research on pathogens such as hantavirus because “treatments, diagnostics and vaccines save lives.”
The MV Hondius has been at the center of an international health alert since last weekend after the WHO was informed that three passengers had died and several others had fallen ill with suspected hantavirus infections.
WHO said seven cases, including two laboratory-confirmed infections and five suspected cases, had initially been identified aboard the vessel, while later reports confirmed an eighth case linked to the outbreak.
Hantavirus is generally transmitted through contact with infected rodents, particularly via urine, droppings and saliva. However, experts said the strain detected aboard the MV Hondius was the Andes variant, a rare form capable of limited human-to-human transmission.
The WHO said the public health risk remained low and stressed that the situation was not comparable to the Covid-19 pandemic.
