The World Health Organization (WHO) has clarified that the hantavirus outbreak reported on a cruise ship in the Atlantic does not present a significant global health risk and should not be compared to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus revealed that there have been eight cases identified thus far, which include five confirmed infections and three suspected cases associated with the Andes strain of hantavirus.
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This statement comes in the wake of reports concerning infections and fatalities linked to the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, where three passengers died, and several others became ill during a voyage from Argentina to Cabo Verde, prompting an international response from health authorities in Europe, Africa, and Latin America.
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The initial alert was issued by the United Kingdom in accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR) after several passengers exhibited severe respiratory symptoms during the journey.
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The WHO emphasized that while hantaviruses are indeed serious, they are primarily zoonotic diseases spread from rodents to humans through contact with infected animals or their excretions. It noted that the Andes strain is the only variant known to allow limited human-to-human transmission.
Nevertheless, health officials asserted that the outbreak is contained and does not signal the onset of a larger global pandemic.
