Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship not ‘another COVID’, WHO says

This article is published in association with United Nations.

A deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean poses a low global public health risk and is “not the start of another COVID pandemic”, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

Three people have died and several others have fallen ill aboard the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, prompting a major international public health response involving countries across Europe, Africa and Latin America.

The first alert came from the United Kingdom, which notified WHO under International Health Regulations (IHR) of the outbreak after passengers aboard the vessel developed severe respiratory illness during the trip from Argentina to Cabo Verde.

Briefing journalists in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said eight cases had been reported so far, including five laboratory-confirmed infections and three suspected cases linked to the rare Andes strain of hantavirus

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Low risk to humans

Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses carried by rodents and are usually transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals or their urine, saliva or droppings (checkout WHO’s hantavirus factsheet here).

The Andes strain, found in parts of Latin America, is the only known hantavirus capable of limited human-to-human transmission.

According to WHO, transmission generally requires close and prolonged contact, particularly among household members, intimate partners or healthcare workers.

“At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low,” Dr. Tedros said.

WHO officials are clear that the outbreak is very different from the 2020 coronavirus pandemic which killed millions worldwide.

“This is not SARS-CoV-2. This is not the start of a COVID pandemic,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO acting director for epidemic and pandemic management.

“Hantaviruses have been around for quite a while. We know this virus. It does not spread the same way that coronaviruses do.”

Investigation underway

The first known patient developed symptoms on 6 April and later died aboard the vessel. His wife also became ill and died after being evacuated to South Africa, where laboratory testing confirmed hantavirus infection.

Prior to boarding, the pair had travelled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on a birdwatching trip, including visits to sites where the rodent species known to carry the virus is present.

Another passenger died on 2 May and while one man remains in intensive care in South Africa, WHO said his condition is improving. Other patients have been transferred to hospitals in the Netherlands for treatment.

WHO said no passengers or crew currently remaining aboard the ship are showing symptoms.