The World Health Organization has moved to calm fears about a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic, stating that it is unlikely to become a global pandemic like COVID-19. Despite the virus's long incubation period and the fact that some passengers have already disembarked, WHO officials emphasized that this situation is fundamentally different.
WHO Officials Reassure Public
Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, stated: "This is not coronavirus. This is a very different virus. We know this virus. Hantavirus has been around for quite a while." She reiterated, "This is not the start of a COVID pandemic. This is an outbreak that we see on a ship."
Details of the Outbreak
The outbreak was detected on the MV Hondius cruise ship after it had already docked at St. Helena in the South Atlantic, where passengers from 12 countries, including the United States, disembarked before the virus was identified. More than 100 individuals remain confined to their cabins as the ship heads to the Canary Islands. As of Thursday, there have been three deaths among eight confirmed or suspected cases, with one British man in intensive care in South Africa and two others hospitalized in stable condition.
Virus Transmission and Monitoring
Health officials confirmed that the strain is the Andes virus, which can spread person-to-person in close-contact settings, a rare occurrence for hantavirus. The incubation period can extend up to six weeks, prompting WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to warn that more cases may emerge. WHO is in contact with health authorities in California, Georgia, and Arizona, where residents who were on the ship are being monitored.
A flight attendant in Amsterdam was hospitalized after contact with a sick passenger who died from the virus, highlighting the potential for further spread. All passengers are advised to self-monitor for symptoms, and WHO is developing a step-by-step plan for when the ship docks, including isolation and contact tracing.
Comparison to Past Outbreaks
Dr. Abdirahman Mahamud, WHO's director for alert and response operations, compared the current situation to an Andes virus outbreak in Argentina in 2018-2019, which resulted in only 34 cases. He expressed confidence that with proper public health measures, this outbreak can be contained. "We believe that this will be a limited outbreak if the public health measures are implemented and solidarity shown across all countries," Mahamud said.
WHO assesses the public health risk as low, emphasizing that this is not the start of a large epidemic. Additional guidance is expected within the next 24 hours.
