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The World Health Organization (WHO) issued an official update on Tuesday regarding the hantavirus outbreak linked to the luxury cruise MV Hondius, registered in the Netherlands, in which it raises the number of affected individuals to seven, confirms three fatalities, and warns about the potential transmission of the virus among individuals in very close contact on board.
The organization published the statement on its disease outbreak alert portal, detailing that since April 1 —the date the ship departed from Ushuaia, Argentina— seven out of the 147 people on board have fallen ill: three have died, one is in critical condition, and three are showing mild symptoms.
Low risk, but on alert for possible transmission between individuals
The WHO was categorical in assessing the scope of the outbreak: “Based on the current information, including how hantavirus spreads, WHO assesses the risk to the global population from this event as low.”
However, the most concerning element of the statement is the suspicion of person-to-person transmission.
Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, director of the WHO's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Division, explained the agency's working hypothesis:
"We believe that there may be some person-to-person transmission occurring among very close contacts. Some people on the ship were couples; they shared cabins, so it involves quite intimate contact."
The organization stated that "person-to-person transmission cannot be ruled out" and that "as a precautionary measure, this is what we are assuming."
Van Kerkhove also emphasized that the danger is not comparable to that of other respiratory viruses: "The risk to the general population is low. This is not a virus that spreads like the flu or COVID; it is quite different."
The cases: a Dutch couple, a British man, and a German woman
The first case was a Dutch man aged 70 years who fell ill on April 6 with fever, headache, and diarrhea, and died on board on April 11 without any microbiological tests being performed.
His wife, aged 69 years, disembarked in Santa Elena on April 24 with gastrointestinal symptoms, worsened during a flight to Johannesburg, and died upon arrival at the emergency room on April 26; she was confirmed by PCR on May 4.
The family stated: "The beautiful journey they shared was abruptly and definitively cut short. We still haven't been able to come to terms with the fact that we have lost them."
A British citizen, evacuated from Ascension Island to South Africa on April 27, remains hospitalized in an intensive care unit in Johannesburg with gradual improvement; this is the second confirmed case by PCR.
A German citizen died on board on May 2 with symptoms of pneumonia, and her case is being treated as suspicious.
The ship, stranded off Cape Verde
The MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, remains anchored off Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, after being denied entry by the country. Cape Verde denied docking permission at the port of Praia, as announced by the president of the National Institute of Public Health of the country, Maria da Luz Lima.
Aboard are traveling 88 passengers and 59 crew members from 23 nationalities, including 17 Americans.
The deadly outbreak on the cruise ship is the first hantavirus case recorded on a vessel of this kind, as confirmed by Van Kerkhove.
The plan: Evacuation and heading to the Canary Islands
The WHO is working on the medical evacuation of two symptomatic crew members using specialized aircraft organized by the Dutch government.
Van Kerkhove explained: "The plan is to medically evacuate those two individuals. That is in progress. The idea is for the ship to continue to the Canary Islands. We are in communication with the Spanish authorities."
This Tuesday, the Ministry of Health of Spain sent a team of epidemiologists to the ship to assess the individuals on board and prepare disinfection protocols.
Strict isolation and hygiene protocols are enforced on board; passengers may receive meals in their cabins and access outdoor decks, but they are not allowed to gather in indoor areas.
What is hantavirus and why is the Andes virus concerning?
Hantavirus is primarily transmitted through contact with the urine, feces, or saliva of infected rodents. Experts suspect that the strain involved is the Andes virus (Orthohantavirus andesense), the only one of more than 20 known strains with documented transmission among humans, endemic to the southern cone of America and prevalent in Argentine Patagonia, precisely the region from where the cruise departed.
The fatality rate of hantavirus can reach 50% in America, and there is no approved specific antiviral treatment or vaccine.
The WHO recommended that passengers and crew actively monitor symptoms for 45 days after the trip and discouraged any travel or trade restrictions based on the available information.
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