Human-to-human transmission suspected on board hantavirus cruise ship, WHO says
WHO said the ship has seven cases, including three deaths, and is investigating possible spread among close contacts aboard the vessel.
- As of May 4, the World Health Organization reported seven hantavirus cases linked to the Dutch-flagged expedition ship MV Hondius, including three deaths; the vessel remains anchored off Cape Verde after authorities denied docking permission.
- Health officials suspect the initial cases contracted the Andes virus via rodent exposure during an Argentine expedition, though WHO Director for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said human-to-human transmission among close contacts cannot be ruled out.
- Nearly 150 people, including 88 passengers and 61 crew, are isolating in their cabins while Cape Verdean medical teams provide support; Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed the ship maintains the highest response level with strict hygiene protocols and medical monitoring.
- Authorities are coordinating medical evacuations for three symptomatic individuals to the Netherlands while the ship plans to proceed to the Canary Islands, where Spanish officials are currently reviewing the docking request for disinfection and investigation.
- Experts emphasize human-to-human hantavirus transmission remains rare, posing low risk to the wider public, while South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases is sequencing the virus to confirm the specific strain and guide containment.
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Three dead and several sick: As from the cruise to Antarctica became a medical emergency that employed the World Health Organization.
The cases that have occurred on the ship are somewhat strange, which reinforces the idea that "there could have been transmission between humans, but it is the exception...
Cruise ship-linked hantavirus cases highlight zoonotic infection risks
The Global Virus Network (GVN), representing eminent human and animal virologists from more than 90 Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in over 40 countries dedicated to advancing research, collaboration, and pandemic preparedness, is closely monitoring reports of a hantavirus cluster linked to a cruise ship traveling in the Atlantic, which has resulted in multiple severe cases and fatalities.
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