WHO: Urgent Response to Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship

Risk of Public infection Remains Low

WHO.. Urgent Response to Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed it is responding urgently to a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

The WHO stated that the outbreak, which has resulted in the deaths of three passengers, does not yet warrant panic or any special travel restrictions. 

The organization emphasized that the risk of public infection remains low. However, health officials are monitoring the situation closely, as the virus spread from person to person on the ship, despite typically being transmitted from rodents to humans.

The virus was detected on the Ocean Wide Expeditions' polar expedition ship, the Hondius, which was sailing from Argentina to Europe. Passengers and crew members exhibited severe respiratory symptoms, and some were evacuated to hospitals in South Africa. Authorities are still investigating how the virus spread on board the ship.

Hantaviruses are a group of viruses carried by rodents such as mice, and they can cause serious illnesses in humans. These viruses can significantly affect the respiratory system, potentially leading to widespread lung damage, or they can cause fever that directly affects the kidneys. Although infections are rare, infection with some strains can pose a high health risk.