WHO Warns of More Hantavirus Cases From Cruise Ship Outbreak

A hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius has sent health authorities scrambling across more than two dozen countries, as passengers who disembarked before the outbreak was understood have now dispersed globally, drawing uncomfortable comparisons to the early days of Covid-19.

Three people have died, a Dutch couple and a German national, since the vessel departed Argentina last month. The World Health Organization confirmed five infections on Thursday and warned more cases are expected. But officials were quick to temper alarm: WHO says there is no evidence of widespread transmission risk and does not anticipate a large-scale epidemic.

“We are working with relevant countries to support international contact tracing, to ensure that those potentially exposed are monitored and that any further disease spread is limited,” the agency said.

The outbreak has been linked to the Andes strain of hantavirus, which, unlike Covid-19, does not spread easily. Officials believe the first cases were contracted off the ship, likely during a bird-watching trip through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, near sites where the rat species known to carry the virus was present.

Affected or monitored passengers are currently located in the Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Singapore. The 146 passengers still aboard are expected to arrive in Tenerife, Spain, this Sunday before being flown home.