WHO Says Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship Likely to Remain Limited

The World Health Organization has reassured the public over the hantavirus outbreak reported on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, saying the spread of the infection is expected to remain limited for now. However, the agency warned that a few more cases could still emerge in the coming days.

WHO Emergency Alert and Response Director Abdi Rahman Mahamud said on Thursday that the outbreak could be contained if countries continue implementing public health measures and maintain international cooperation.

At the same time, the WHO acknowledged that additional infections cannot be ruled out as health authorities continue monitoring passengers and tracing contacts linked to the cruise ship.

WHO pandemic preparedness and prevention director Maria Van Kerkhove clarified that the current situation should not be compared to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is not COVID. This is not the beginning of a pandemic,” she said while addressing concerns surrounding the outbreak.

The WHO also revealed that it has sent 2,500 hantavirus diagnostic kits to laboratories in five countries to help speed up testing, identification, and surveillance efforts.

According to the cruise operator and Dutch authorities, dozens of passengers from the affected cruise ship disembarked on April 24 without undergoing proper contact tracing procedures. The incident reportedly took place nearly two weeks after the first passenger died from the infection onboard.

The cruise company had earlier confirmed that the body of a Dutch passenger who died on April 11 was removed from the ship at the remote South Atlantic island of Saint Helena. His wife also left the vessel there before traveling to South Africa, where she later died.

Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions⁠ said that 29 passengers left the ship, while the Dutch Foreign Ministry estimated the number to be closer to 40. The company admitted that the passengers who disembarked belonged to 12 different nationalities, while the nationalities of two others remain unknown.

Authorities in South Africa and several European countries are now trying to trace all contacts of the passengers who left the vessel. On Wednesday, officials confirmed that a person in Switzerland tested positive for hantavirus after leaving the ship and returning home from Saint Helena.

Dutch authorities have not yet confirmed the current whereabouts of several other passengers who left the cruise ship.

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