TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The World Health Organization (WHO) stated on Thursday, May 7, 2026, that the lethal hantavirus outbreak aboard an Atlantic cruise ship does not signal the onset of a global crisis akin to COVID-19.
"This is not the start of an epidemic. This is not the start of a pandemic," Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s Director of Epidemic and Pandemic Readiness and Prevention, told journalists in Geneva, as reported by CNA.
According to her, the Hantavirus transmission dynamics are entirely different from the coronavirus.
Abdirahman Mahamud, WHO’s Health Emergency Program Manager, echoed these sentiments during the same briefing. "It’s a specific, confined setting where people are interacting in prolonged close contact," Mahamud said, according to Anadolu.
The hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has drawn international concerns after three passengers died. Despite the fatalities, the WHO estimates that the outbreak is unlikely to escalate into a large-scale epidemic, citing the expertise and containment measures already deployed by member states.
"We believe that this will not lead to subsequent chains of transmission," added Mahamud.
WHO officials noted that five cases of the Andes virus have been confirmed to date. This specific hantavirus strain is rare for its potential to transmit between humans, though it typically requires prolonged, close contact to do so. These cases were identified on the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, with diagnoses confirmed through laboratory testing in South Africa and Switzerland.
While infected patients must remain isolated, he went on, exposed individuals require active monitoring for up to 42 days, though specific protocols may vary by nation. He suggested that some countries may opt for institutional quarantine, while others may rely on daily check-ins by health officials.
12 Countries Affected
Most hantaviruses are transmitted through contact with infected rodents, specifically their saliva, urine, or droppings, while human-to-human transmission is rare.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that the UN agency has notified 12 countries whose citizens were aboard the cruise ship, which had previously docked at Saint Helena. These countries include Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
"Given the incubation period of the Andes virus, which can be up to six weeks, it's possible that more cases may be reported," he said, Tedros said, referring to the rare strain found on the Hondius.
Tedros noted that the first two confirmed cases, a Dutch couple, had traveled through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay before boarding the vessel. During their travels, they visited a waste disposal site frequented by birds and known to house rodents carrying the Andes virus.
Read: Hantavirus on MV Hondius: 5 Confirmed Cases, 12 Nations Alerted
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