The World Health Organization (WHO) has assured the public that the hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius is not the beginning of another global pandemic.
Speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, WHO officials stressed that hantavirus spreads differently from COVID-19 and currently poses a low public health risk.
WHO infectious disease epidemiologist, Maria Van Kerkhove, said the situation should not be compared to the coronavirus outbreak.
“I want to be unequivocal here. This is not SARS-CoV-2. This is not the start of a Covid pandemic. This is an outbreak that we see on a ship,” she said.
Van Kerkhove explained that the Andes hantavirus infection spreads mainly through close and prolonged contact, unlike airborne illnesses such as COVID-19 or influenza.
“This is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very, very differently,” she added.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus disclosed that eight cases linked to the outbreak have been identified so far, including three deaths.
According to him, five of the cases have been laboratory-confirmed, while three remain suspected.
Tedros explained that hantaviruses are carried by rodents and are commonly transmitted to humans through exposure to infected rodents, their saliva, urine, or droppings.
“The species of hantavirus involved in this case is the Andes virus, which is found in Latin America and is the only species known to be capable of limited transmission between humans,” he said.
He added that previous outbreaks showed person-to-person transmission occurred only after “close and prolonged contact,” particularly among family members, intimate partners, and healthcare providers.
Tedros revealed that the first patient developed symptoms on April 9, but hantavirus was not initially suspected, meaning no samples were collected at the time.
He said the patient’s wife later left the ship when it docked at Saint Helena before later dying in Johannesburg, where tests confirmed hantavirus infection.
Despite warning that additional cases could emerge due to the virus’ incubation period of up to six weeks, WHO maintained that the broader public health risk remains low.
Tedros also disclosed that he contacted Pedro Sánchez to request that Spain accept the vessel following the outbreak.
The ship is currently heading to the Canary Islands, with passengers instructed to remain in their cabins while anyone showing symptoms has been told to isolate immediately.
