Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship not start of pandemic, says UN health agency

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship is not comparable to the Covid-19 pandemic because the virus spreads differently.Maria van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the WHO, told a news briefing that hantavirus spreads through “close, intimate contact,” unlike Covid-19.Health authorities are tracing dozens of people who recently disembarked from the Dutch vessel MV Hondius. On Thursday, the WHO confirmed five of eight suspected hantavirus cases. Three people have died, including a 69-year-old Dutch woman who tested positive for the virus. Her Dutch husband and a German woman also died, and investigations into their cases are ongoing.Hantavirus is usually spread by rodents, but the WHO said the latest outbreak marked the first documented human-to-human transmission.The luxury cruise, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 and is expected to arrive in Spain’s Canary Islands on May 10. Around 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries were initially on board, though dozens disembarked on St Helena on April 24.Van Kerkhove stressed that “this is not Covid, this is not influenza,” noting that the virus spreads “very, very differently.”She added that authorities had advised everyone on board the MV Hondius to wear masks, while those caring for suspected cases should use higher-level personal protective equipment.WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said the organisation currently assesses the public health risk as low. He noted that the first two confirmed cases had travelled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on a bird-watching trip that included visits to areas inhabited by rat species known to carry the virus.Tedros said the WHO was monitoring reports of other people with symptoms who may have had contact with passengers and was working with relevant authorities.Because the disease can incubate for up to six weeks, more cases could still emerge, he warned.Oceanwide Expeditions said 29 passengers from at least 12 nationalities left the MV Hondius in St Helena. The body of one deceased passenger, now identified as a Dutch man, was also removed from the vessel.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said two individuals are self-isolating in the UK, while others have not yet returned. Four people remain in St Helena, and tracing efforts continue for another individual believed to still be outside the UK.Spain said discussions with the UK were at an advanced stage regarding a repatriation flight for British nationals once the vessel reaches the Canary Islands.Virginia Barcones, head of Spain’s civil protection and emergencies agency, said 19 British passengers and four crew members remained on board. She added that four Americans were also aboard, and the United States had indicated readiness to send a plane to evacuate its citizens directly.