This is not a pandemic, says WHO as hantavirus cases linked to cruise rise to 5

WHO has confirmed five hantavirus infections linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius. A WHO expert joined by Dutch doctors and a specialist from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is conducting health checks on all passengers and crew.

In Short

• Outbreak linked to severe respiratory illnesses and three deaths
• WHO alerted 12 countries with passengers from the cruise ship
• Hantavirus spreads mainly via rodents, not like COVID-19

The World Health Organisation said on Thursday that five hantavirus cases linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius have been confirmed, while three more remain under investigation, according to Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Speaking at a media briefing, Tedros said the overall public health risk is low, despite the deaths of three people linked to the outbreak. He added that more cases could emerge due to the virus’s incubation period, which can extend up to six weeks.

The first known case involved a passenger who developed symptoms on April 6 and died onboard on April 11. At the time, hantavirus was not suspected, as symptoms resembled other respiratory illnesses and no samples were taken.

The outbreak surfaced after the United Kingdom alerted the World Health Organisation to a cluster of severe respiratory illness cases among passengers on the Dutch-flagged vessel. So far, eight cases have been identified, including three deaths. Five have been confirmed as hantavirus, while three are still suspected. Officials said none of the remaining passengers are showing symptoms.

WHO ALERTS 12 COUNTRIES

They are conducting medical assessments of all passengers and crew while collecting data to evaluate infection risks. The World Health Organization has also alerted 12 countries whose nationals disembarked earlier in the voyage: Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States.

The World Health Organisation has stressed that the outbreak linked to the cruise ship does not pose a significant public health threat as the existing containment measures are adequate and there is no indication of widespread transmission.

"Most hantavirus strains do not transmit between people," the agency said.

Health experts also drew a clear distinction between hantavirus and COVID-19, noting that the two diseases spread very differently. "This is not SARS-CoV-2. It doesn’t spread the same way," WHO DG said. "This is no coronavirus. It is not a new virus. This is not a pandemic."

According to the agency, human-to-human transmission remains rare and typically requires very close and prolonged contact. In most cases, hantavirus spreads through exposure to infected rodent droppings or contaminated environments, rather than contact between people.

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WIth inputs from agencies