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WHO Says Global Risk Remains Low Despite Hantavirus Cruise Ship Outbreak
Health authorities are intensifying efforts to trace passengers exposed to hantavirus following an outbreak aboard the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius that has left three people dead and several others ill after the vessel travelled through remote regions of South America.
The outbreak has sparked an international response as passengers from the ship have already returned to countries including the UK, South Africa, the Netherlands, the United States and Switzerland.
According to health officials, three passengers died either while onboard or after leaving the ship, while four others were medically evacuated for treatment. The World Health Organization confirmed that eight cases linked to the vessel — three confirmed and five suspected — have so far been identified.
Despite the seriousness of the outbreak, the WHO stressed that the virus does not pose the same level of global threat as highly contagious respiratory diseases.
“This is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very, very differently,” said Maria Van Kerkhove during a briefing on Thursday.
Experts believe the outbreak involves the Andes strain of hantavirus, one of the rare hantavirus strains capable of spreading between humans. However, officials say the risk of widespread international transmission remains low because the virus is far less contagious than illnesses such as COVID-19 or Measles.
Hantavirus infections are usually linked to rodents, with people becoming infected after inhaling virus particles from rodent urine, saliva or droppings. Investigators are still working to determine how the outbreak on board began.
The cruise had reportedly visited remote wildlife areas in South America, raising the possibility that a passenger may have been exposed to the virus before boarding or during excursions ashore.
Health experts say some of the cases on the ship may have resulted from close human contact in the vessel’s confined environment. Cruise ships often involve shared dining spaces, cabins and indoor facilities that can increase the risk of infection spreading among passengers.
Previous outbreaks involving the Andes strain in parts of Argentina and Chile have shown that human-to-human transmission can occur, although usually after prolonged close contact.
Symptoms of hantavirus often begin with fever, fatigue, headaches and muscle aches before progressing in severe cases to breathing difficulties and serious lung complications.
Authorities across several countries are now monitoring passengers and close contacts as part of efforts to prevent further spread while reassuring the public that the overall risk remains low.
News
Tiger Woods Accepts Five-Year Driving Ban After Reckless Driving Plea
Golfing legend Tiger Woods has agreed to plead to a reckless driving charge as part of a deal with prosecutors, avoiding the original charge of driving under the influence following a rollover crash in Florida.
The 50-year-old accepted a five-year suspension of his driving licence and a $1,000 (£742) fine under the plea agreement reached with prosecutors in Martin County.
Woods was arrested following the March crash. He passed a breathalyser test but declined further testing for other substances.
He initially pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence and refusing to submit to testing. Following the incident, Woods said he was seeking treatment and taking time to focus on his health.
Florida State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl said he was satisfied with the resolution of the case and insisted Woods had been treated like any other defendant.
“No one was injured in the crash, although Woods was forced to crawl through the passenger door to escape the vehicle after it rolled over.
Police body-camera footage released in April showed Woods in the aftermath of the crash. He appeared calm as he told officers: “I looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden, boom.”
Woods told police he had not consumed alcohol that day. He also acknowledged taking prescription medication earlier that morning, although the names of the medication were redacted from the footage.
Officers said they suspected his normal faculties had been impaired by an “unknown substance”. Authorities later reported finding two white pills in his pocket, which were identified as hydrocodone, an opioid commonly prescribed for pain.
After the incident, Woods acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and said he was stepping away to seek treatment and focus on his wellbeing.
The crash was the second time Woods had been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
News
Norway’s King Haakon Takes Oath as Nation Mourns Late King Harald
Norway’s King Haakon VIII has sworn an oath before parliament in Oslo, marking the first major formal step in his reign following the death of his father, King Harald V.
During Tuesday’s ceremony, parliament also observed a minute’s silence in honour of Harald, who died on Friday.
Haakon’s wife, Queen Mette-Marit, was absent from the formal ceremony as she continues to recover from a lung transplant.
Following the parliamentary proceedings, mourners began gathering at the Royal Palace in Oslo to pay their respects to the late king.
King Harald’s coffin is lying in state at the palace, where members of the public will be able to pay their respects until 8 September.
News
Nepal Flood Death Toll Surpasses 1,000 as Rescuers Search for Trapped Workers
The death toll from devastating floods along Nepal’s border with Tibet has surpassed 1,000, according to the country’s disaster management authorities.
More than 3,900 people remain missing, including over 600 workers believed to be trapped inside a vast network of mud-filled tunnels at hydropower projects along the Trishuli River.
Rescuers have been pumping air into the tunnels in an effort to keep those trapped alive. A team managed to enter one of the tunnels on Monday but was forced to withdraw after finding no survivors.
Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah said 279 people had so far been rescued from the affected sites.
The international rescue effort is being led by Chinese and Nepalese military personnel, with experts from India, South Korea and Australia also taking part.
Families of the missing workers have expressed frustration over the pace of the rescue operation.
Nepal relies heavily on hydropower and has invested extensively in projects along its mountainous river systems. Authorities said at least 11 hydropower projects, either completed or under construction, were damaged by the floods.
Rescuers began pumping air into one tunnel over the weekend, but relatives of those trapped said the measure should have been introduced sooner.
Prime Minister Shah said rescue efforts had been intensified, describing the floods as an extraordinary disaster and warning that climate change was increasing risks across the Himalayan region.
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