Three people have died after becoming infected with hantavirus while onboard the MV Hondius cruise ship with officials now stating there are eight suspected cases and three confirmed infections
Dr Maria Van Kerkhove addressed concerns about hantavirus (Image: WHO)
A World Health Organisation (WHO) boss has given a hantavirus warning amid fears the rat virus spreading on a cruise ship could trigger the next pandemic.
Passengers onboard the Dutch MV Hondius cruise ship after it set sail from Argentina for Cape Verde, off the coast of West Africa. Crew found passengers started falling ill in early April and three people have died since.
There are now eight suspected cases and three confirmed infections following lab tests. Symptoms include fever, gastrointestinal issues, pneumonia, shock and acute respiratory distress syndrome.
WHO aimed to provide reassurance amid concerns the virus could spread further. Officials were keen to stress the outbreak was not like previous pandemics and again said the risk to the public was low, despite this being a serious incident.
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“This is not coronavirus,” Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said. “This is a very different virus, we know this virus hantavirus have been around for quite a while.
“I want to be unequivocal here – this is not SARS-COV-2, this is not the outbreak of a Covid pandemic, this is an outbreak we see on a ship.
“There’s a confined area, we have five confirmed cases so far, we completely understand why these questions are coming and we are trying to provide questions are coming and we are trying to provide all the information we can.
“This is not the same situation we were in six years ago, like coronaviruses do, it’s very different – it’s that close, intimate contact that we’ve seen.”
The WHO added there are now five confirmed cruise ship hantavirus cases.
“So far, eight cases have been reported, including three deaths. Five of the eight cases have been confirmed as hantavirus and the other three are suspected,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“The species of hantavirus involved in this case is the Andes virus, which is found in Latin America,” he told journalists in Geneva. “Given the incubation period of the Andes virus, which can be up to six weeks, it’s possible that more cases may be reported,” he added.
WHO added it was aware of seven British nationals who left she ship at St Helena on April 24. Its statement continued: “Two of these individuals are now self-isolating in the UK while the others have not yet returned.
“Four of these individuals remain in St Helena and we are in touch with the relevant health officials to provide advice on contact management.” A British passenger who had previously been reported as ‘missing’ has now been found although they are not back int he UK.
It emerged the first two cases of hantavirus were contracted by passengers who visited Argentina, Chile and Uruguay” as part of a bird-watching trip. The areas they visited were known to have a species of rat that can carry the virus.
WHO said it was in contact with authorities in Argentina to learn the couple’s movements. Officials said the risk of the virus spreading is low as the cruise ship continues to sail toward the Canary Islands.
