WHO says low public risk after suspected hantavirus outbreak

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said there was no need for panic following a suspected outbreak of rodent-borne hantavirus aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

According to WHO, the risk to the public remains low in spite of reports that three people died while three others fell ill aboard the vessel during the voyage.

Netherlands-based Oceanwide Expeditions said it was “managing a serious medical situation” on its polar expedition ship, MV Hondius, which was off Cape Verde, an island nation along Africa’s western coast.

The cruise departed Argentina about three weeks ago with around 150 passengers, making stops in Antarctica and other destinations before heading toward Cape Verde, according to multiple international media reports.

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WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said “the risk to the wider public remains low. There is no need for panic or travel restrictions.”

Kluge added that the WHO was acting urgently to support response efforts, working with affected countries on medical care, evacuation processes, investigations, and broader public health risk assessments.

He said “Hantavirus infections are uncommon and usually linked to exposure to infected rodents. While severe in some cases, it is not easily transmitted between people.”

A spokesperson for the Dutch Foreign Ministry confirmed that two Dutch passengers had died from the incident but declined to provide further details regarding the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

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The WHO said in a post on X that one of the affected passengers was receiving intensive care treatment in South Africa, while reports identified the patient as British.

Laboratory tests have confirmed hantavirus infection in one of the six reported cases, the organisation said, as investigations continue to determine the source and extent of the suspected outbreak.

(Reuters/NAN)