Hantavirus Outbreak on MV Hondius Declared Over by WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that the hantavirus outbreak affecting passengers aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius has concluded. Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that the last individual who had contact with a hantavirus-exposed person completed their quarantine period, tested negative for the virus, and has returned home.
No new cases have been reported since 25 May, leading the WHO to state that it "considers the hantavirus outbreak over."
The outbreak involved the Andes virus, a rare strain of hantavirus, which infected 13 people and resulted in three fatalities. The MV Hondius had departed from Argentina on 1 April.
Earlier WHO reports indicated that the initial two cases had traveled through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay on a bird-watching trip, visiting locations where the rodent species known to carry the virus were present. Health experts suspect that in this outbreak, transmission may have occurred between humans who were in close contact.
As of Thursday, the WHO reported that over 650 contacts had been identified and monitored by authorities across 33 countries and territories. The organization emphasized its ongoing collaboration with governments and partners to enhance understanding of this outbreak and hantavirus in general.
WHO Experts Highlight Continued Risk and Monitoring Needs
During a briefing, WHO medical officer Dr Diana Rojas Alverez stated:
"Andes virus and other hantaviruses are still a public health risk for South America, and some other endemic areas... What we need to continue doing is to keep monitoring this virus, keep preparing for further spread."
Hantavirus typically transmits from rodents to humans through inhalation of air contaminated with virus particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. Symptoms may include fever, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and shortness of breath.
Symptoms generally appear between two to four weeks after exposure but can manifest more than a month later, which justified the extended isolation period for the passengers.
Passengers who were not medically evacuated disembarked in Tenerife, Spain, in May before being repatriated to their home countries.
Background and Related Information
The MV Hondius cruise ship's route and timeline of incidents provide context for the outbreak. The ship departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on 1 April. On 11 April, the first passenger died at sea. The route continued northeast toward Africa. On 24 April, the deceased passenger's wife was flown from St Helena to South Africa. Near South Africa, a woman died in Johannesburg on 26 April, and a second sick passenger was hospitalized on 27 April. Another passenger died onboard on 2 May. The ship arrived at Cape Verde on 3 May and finally reached Tenerife on 10 May.
