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WHO on Hantavirus Outbreak: 'This Is Not COVID'
WHO says the cruise-linked hantavirus outbreak is likely to stay contained as eight cases and three deaths are reported.
On Thursday, the World Health Organization confirmed a hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship, with more than 100 passengers confined as the vessel heads toward the Canary Islands.
Health officials identified the strain as the Andes virus, noting person-to-person transmission occurred due to close contact; this cluster mirrors an Argentina outbreak in 2018-2019 that resulted in 34 cases.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that more cases may emerge given the six-week incubation period, while Maria Van Kerkhove stated, "This is not the start of a COVID pandemic."
Officials confirmed passengers from 12 countries disembarked before detection, prompting health departments in California, Georgia, and Arizona to monitor returnees; a flight attendant was hospitalized in Amsterdam.
Abdirahman Mahamud, WHO director for alert and response operations, stated, "We firmly believe that safe, informed contact tracing and monitoring will reduce further spread," with additional guidance expected within 24 hours.