WHO statement on cruise ship: 5 cases confirmed as hantavirus

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus shared the latest developments regarding hantavirus cases detected on the Dutch-flagged cruise ship 'MV Hondius', which departed from Argentina, during a press conference. Ghebreyesus stated that the UK reported a group of passengers with severe respiratory illness to the WHO last Saturday under the International Health Regulations, saying, “So far, 8 cases have been reported, 3 of which resulted in death. 5 of the cases have been confirmed as hantavirus, while the other 3 are considered suspicious.”

Ghebreyesus noted that the virus on the ship is the 'Andes' variant, known to be the only type seen in Latin America with limited human-to-human transmission capability. He explained that transmission is usually associated with close and prolonged contact among household members, close partners, and healthcare providers, adding, “The current situation appears to be similar.”

The WHO Director-General stated that investigations into the source of the outbreak are ongoing, noting that the first two cases participated in a bird-watching tour covering Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay before boarding the ship, where they visited areas inhabited by rodent species carrying the virus. Providing information on the course of the disease, Ghebreyesus reported that a man who showed symptoms on April 6 died on the ship on April 11, and no samples were taken initially as it was thought to be a respiratory illness. He emphasized that the deceased person's spouse disembarked on Saint Helena Island and fell ill during a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, dying on April 26, and that tests confirmed this person had hantavirus. The third death was reported to have occurred in a woman on the ship on May 2. It was reported that other sick individuals are under treatment or observation in South Africa, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

12 COUNTRIES INFORMED

Ghebreyesus stated that other passengers on the ship were asked to stay in their cabins, the cabins were disinfected, and those showing symptoms would be immediately isolated. He announced that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez approved accepting the ship and that it is currently heading towards the Canary Islands. Ghebreyesus mentioned that experts from the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) boarded the ship and that 12 countries, whose nationals disembarked on Saint Helena, were informed. The informed countries were reported as Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK, and the USA.

Ghebreyesus warned that new cases could emerge due to the Andes virus's incubation period of up to 6 weeks, stating, “Although this is a serious event, the WHO assesses the general public health risk as low.”