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.