Health officials downplay global threat from ship hantavirus cases

The World Health Organization said the recent hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship should not cause alarm, stressing that the virus poses a low risk to the wider public.

Health officials said the outbreak was far less contagious than Covid-19, and experts echoed that assessment, saying the chances of wider spread remain low.

The ship has been at the centre of an international health scare since the WHO was informed that three passengers had died and hantavirus was suspected. The disease is usually transmitted through contact with infected rodents, particularly their urine, droppings and saliva.

Laboratory tests in South Africa and Switzerland confirmed that the cases on board involved the Andes strain of hantavirus, the only known strain that can spread between humans. The WHO said samples taken from the ship were also tested at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar, Senegal.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told AFP that the outbreak was not comparable to the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that “the risk to the rest of the world is low.”

Passengers began falling ill about a month ago. A Dutch man died on board on April 11, and his wife, who left the ship to accompany his body to South Africa, died there 15 days later after also becoming ill. Two other people are being treated, one in Johannesburg and one in Zurich.

The Hondius set sail from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 and has been anchored off Cape Verde since Sunday as emergency teams respond. Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia Gomez said the vessel was expected to dock in Tenerife in the Canary Islands within days, and that foreign passengers would be flown home if their condition allowed.

Health experts said there was no reason for panic. Giulia Gallo, a postdoctoral scientist at the Pirbright Institute, said hantavirus is not new and that the public should rely on accurate information rather than react out of fear.

South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said human-to-human transmission of the Andes strain is “very rare” and occurs only through very close contact. Swiss health authorities also said there was no current risk to the public.

WHO representative in Cape Verde Ann Lindstrand said three people taken from the ship were in stable condition, including one who was asymptomatic. Authorities are monitoring 69 contacts linked to the outbreak.

The cruise ship was carrying 88 passengers and 59 crew members from 23 nationalities. The WHO said it is still investigating how the virus appeared on board after the first victim developed symptoms on April 6.

Additional sources • AFP