WHO Declares End of Cruise Ship-Linked Hantavirus Outbreak

Geneva (ANTARA) - The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Thursday (2/7) that the hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Honduna has officially ended, following the conclusion of the quarantine period for the last contact and the absence of new cases for more than five weeks.

“Today, the last contact of an individual exposed to hantavirus on the cruise ship MV Hondius has completed their quarantine, tested negative, and returned home. No new cases have been reported since 25 May. Therefore, we are pleased to declare that the WHO considers this hantavirus outbreak to have ended,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in his opening remarks during a media briefing on Thursday.

The WHO was notified of the outbreak on 2 May by the UK’s International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Point. The outbreak involved a cluster of severe acute respiratory illnesses aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship.

A total of 13 cases were recorded, including three deaths. More than 650 contacts were identified and followed up by health authorities.

The response to the outbreak was supported by various countries in accordance with the IHR, including Argentina, Cape Verde, Chile, the Netherlands, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and particularly Spain, which demonstrated “extraordinary solidarity in supporting the process of disembarking passengers and the safe repatriation of passengers and crew in Tenerife,” the WHO Director-General stated.

Although the outbreak has now ended, the WHO will continue to work with governments and its partners to improve understanding of this outbreak and hantavirus in general.

The WHO is currently coordinating a study involving 21 countries to understand how this disease develops, which will support the development of diagnostic tools, therapies, and vaccines to face future outbreaks.