Passengers watch as evacuations take place from the cruise ship MV Hondius, which has been affected by the deadly hantovirus, off the coast of Cape Verde on May 6, 2026.AFP via Getty Images

EU meets to game-plan hantavirus response as WHO calms outbreak fears – POLITICO

by · POLITICO

EU countries met Thursday afternoon to coordinate their response to the hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship bound for Spain, which has so far killed three people.

The World Health Organization, meanwhile, moved to calm fears that the outbreak could trigger a global health emergency on the scale of Covid-19.

“This is not the start of an epidemic, this is not the start of a pandemic,” Maria Van Kerkhove from the World Health Organization told reporters Thursday.