The World Health Organization (WHO) has cautioned against overstating the risks of hantavirus, confirming that the disease does not represent the beginning of a new pandemic and does not spread in the manner that COVID-19 did.
At a press conference in Geneva, Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s acting director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, said that most hantaviruses are not transmitted between humans.
“Most hantaviruses are not transmitted between humans,” Van Kerkhove stated, adding that the public health risk remains low both globally and in the Canary Islands, where the cruise ship MV Hondius is currently headed.
Hantavirus on MV Hondius: WHO rules out pandemic as death toll reaches three
The WHO confirmed that the current outbreak is linked to the Andes virus – the only known strain of hantavirus capable of transmission between humans, and only through close and prolonged contact, particularly in indoor spaces.
The organisation confirmed that the risk remains confined to the passengers of the vessel.
Precautionary measures are currently in place aboard the ship. These include:
- The isolation of those who have been infected
- The disinfection of cabins
- The deployment of a health expert to the vessel
- The provision of thousands of diagnostic kits
To date, the WHO has recorded eight cases linked to the ship, of which three have been fatal. Despite the deaths, the WHO’s overall public health risk assessment for the outbreak remains low.
