{"id":330904,"date":"2026-05-07T21:47:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T16:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=330904"},"modified":"2026-05-07T21:47:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T16:17:24","slug":"hantavirus-risk-is-low-who-says-as-30-more-passengers-being-traced-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/07\/hantavirus-risk-is-low-who-says-as-30-more-passengers-being-traced-national\/","title":{"rendered":"Hantavirus risk is \u2018low,\u2019 WHO says as 30 more passengers being traced – National"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Officials are looking for greater than 30 passengers who left the cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak on April 24 without contact tracing, nearly two weeks after the primary passenger died on board, in response to the ship operator and Dutch officials.<\/p>\n

The news comes after concerns were raised that the virus could spread as travellers returned home, although experts say the danger to the general public is taken into account \u201clow.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an update on Thursday<\/a>, Oceanwide Expeditions, the Dutch company that operates the cruise ship, said it continues to \u201cmanage an ongoing medical situation on board m\/v Hondius.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOceanwide Expeditions can confirm that on 1 April 2026, 114 guests boarded m\/v Hondius in Ushuaia, Argentina. 30 guests disembarked m\/v Hondius on Saint Helena on 24 April 2026,\u201d the corporate said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis number includes the body of the guest who passed away on board m\/v Hondius on 11 April 2026. The primary confirmed case of hantavirus was not reported until 4 May 2026. These disembarked guests have all been contacted by Oceanwide Expeditions. We’re working to determine details of all passengers and crew who embarked and disembarked on various stops of m\/v Hondius since March 20.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dutch Foreign Ministry put the number at 40 people, in response to The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

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There are two Canadian passengers included within the 30 guests who disembarked at St. Helena on April 24.<\/p>\n

During a press conference on Thursday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said the Public Health Agency of Canada is following up on the 2 Canadians who’ve disembarked.<\/p>\n

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The seek for the disembarked passengers comes after the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health confirmed that a passenger who travelled on the primary leg of the voyage, from Ushuaia to St. Helena, April 1 to 24, has tested positive for hantavirus and is currently being treated on the University Hospital Zurich.<\/p>\n

The primary confirmed case of hantavirus in a passenger on the ship was only on May 2, the WHO has previously said. That involved a British man evacuated from the ship to South Africa from Ascension Island three days after the St. Helena stop.<\/p>\n

Three passengers have died within the outbreak, and a number of other others are sick. Three people, including the ship\u2019s doctor, were evacuated Wednesday while the ship was near the West African island country of Cape Verde and brought to Europe for treatment.<\/p>\n

The body of the third fatality, a German woman, remains to be on board the ship after she died on May 2.<\/p>\n

Hantavirus often spreads by the inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings and, in rare cases, might be transmitted from individual to individual, in response to the WHO. Symptoms often show between one and eight weeks after exposure.<\/p>\n

There isn’t any specific treatment or cure for hantavirus, but early medical attention can increase the possibility of survival.<\/p>\n

The vessel is now sailing to Spain\u2019s Canary Islands, a voyage that is anticipated to take three or 4 days, with greater than 140 passengers and crew members still on board.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tHow did the outbreak start?\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The primary two cases \u201ctravelled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on a bird-watching trip which included visits to sites where the species of rat known to hold the virus was present,\u201d Ghebreyesus said.<\/p>\n

The WHO is working with authorities in Argentina to learn more in regards to the couple\u2019s movements while there, he added. The deceased pair have been identified as a Dutch couple, a person aged 70 and a lady aged 69.<\/p>\n

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Ghebreyesus said he has been in contact with the captain of the MV Hondius, who said that morale has improved \u201csignificantly\u201d because the ship began to maneuver again to the Canary Islands.<\/p>\n

Ghebreyesus asked for \u201cglobal solidarity\u201d because the ship heads to the Canary Islands and said he asked Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez to just accept the ship.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made a request to Spain and I actually have actually sent a letter personally to his excellence the prime minister. And based on that request, because this is a component of the IHR regulation, the prime minister has accepted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSolidarity is a very powerful here, and that\u2019s what the prime minister has shown. But on top of that, I feel everybody has the moral duty to maintain the people who find themselves on the ship. So I hope those that have concerns on the Canary Island will understand and support and co-operate with the federal government.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he understands \u201ctheir concerns\u201d but added that \u201cbased on the danger assessment that we’ve got, the danger to the people in Canary Island is definitely low.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re confident within the capability of Spain to administer this risk and we\u2019re supporting them to achieve this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Oceanwide Expeditions said that the ship is estimated to reach on the port of Grandilla, Tenerife \u201cwithin the early hours of Sunday, May 10\u201d but notes \u201cthat is subject to vary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ghebreyesus also said he’s aware of reports of other individuals with symptoms who can have had contact with passengers and the WHO is in contact with the relevant authorities.<\/p>\n

He confirmed that investigations into the course of the outbreak are still underway.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tThis just isn’t a COVID-19 pandemic, WHO says\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

When asked if the hantavirus outbreak is comparable to the \u201cearly days or perhaps weeks of the coronavirus pandemic,\u201d Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO\u2019s director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness, said \u201cthis just isn’t coronavirus.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt is a very different virus. We all know this virus. Hantavirus has been around for quite some time. There\u2019s quite a lot of detail that we all know,\u201d she said on Thursday. \u201cI need to be unequivocal here: this just isn’t SARS-CoV-2. This just isn’t the beginning of a COVID pandemic. That is an outbreak that we see on a ship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerkhove said the outbreak took place in a \u201cconfined area.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’ve five confirmed cases thus far. We completely understand why these questions are coming and we are attempting to offer all of the data that we will,\u201d she continued. \u201cWe\u2019re grateful for all of those that are asking these kinds of questions but this just isn’t the identical situation we were in six years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hantavirus doesn\u2019t spread the identical way as COVID-19, in response to Kerkhove.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost hantaviruses don\u2019t transmit between people in any respect. Most hantaviruses are transmitted from rodents or their feces or their saliva of their droppings to people. And only this one particular virus, the Andes virus, which has been identified here, we\u2019ve seen some human-to-human transmission,\u201d Kerkhove explained.<\/p>\n

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She reiterated that the actions being taken on board are \u201cprecautionary to forestall any onward spread.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s lots that’s being done at once to have the ability to attenuate the danger even further,\u201d Kerkhove added.<\/p>\n

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