The World Health Organization said on Friday that the risk of hantavirus spreading remains extremely low after cases were reported on the MV Hondius cruise ship. Three passengers have died and several others have been infected. The vessel is heading to Tenerife.
The WHO moved to reassure the general public. Spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva that the virus is dangerous only to the infected person and does not spread easily. He stated that the risk to the wider population is “absolutely low” and that the situation is “not a new Covid”.
The MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, departed Ushuaia in Argentina on 1 April. Thursday’s tally listed five confirmed cases and three suspected cases. The ship is due to arrive in Tenerife in the Canary Islands on Sunday.
Contacts have tested negative, including a KLM flight attendant and the partner of a Swiss passenger hospitalised in Zurich. In Britain, UKHSA reported a third suspected case in a British national on Tristan da Cunha, where the vessel called in late April. People are under observation in Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and South Africa.
