By Chioma Obinna
A deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to an international cruise ship has sparked a major global health alert after the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that the virus has spread across 32 countries, territories and areas, leaving three people dead and hundreds under monitoring.
The outbreak, traced to the Netherlands-flagged cruise vessel M/V Hondius, has so far recorded 13 confirmed and probable cases among passengers and crew members, with WHO warning that additional infections may still emerge because the virus can incubate for up to six weeks.
Health authorities across several countries are now scrambling to trace more than 600 contacts linked to the voyage as evidence mounts that human-to-human transmission occurred onboard the ship.
“This outbreak is being managed through a coordinated international response,” WHO said Thursday in its latest Disease Outbreak News update.
The global health agency disclosed that all confirmed infections to date involved people who travelled aboard the M/V Hondius cruise ship.
According to WHO, the outbreak was first reported on May 2 after a cluster of severe respiratory illnesses, including two deaths and one critically ill passenger, was detected onboard the vessel.
Since WHO’s last update on May 13, three new confirmed cases have been reported in Canada, the Netherlands and Spain. Officials said the Canadian case developed symptoms during follow-up monitoring, while the Spanish and Dutch cases were identified through routine testing of high-risk contacts.
Investigators believed the first infected passenger may have contracted the virus before boarding the ship through exposure on land. However, WHO said preliminary investigations now strongly suggest that the virus later spread among passengers and crew during the voyage.
“Current evidence suggests subsequent human-to-human transmission onboard the ship,” WHO stated, adding that preliminary genetic sequencing showed “near-identical” virus samples among infected individuals.
The cruise ship had stopped at Saint Helena, Ascension Island, Cabo Verde and Tenerife before authorities fully understood the extent of the outbreak, raising fears of wider international exposure.
WHO said more than 600 contacts — including passengers, crew members, healthcare workers and airline travellers, have now been identified globally, with 53 per cent classified as high-risk contacts.
WHO said high-risk contacts are currently under quarantine or active health monitoring in different countries as authorities intensify efforts to contain further spread.
Although WHO assessed the overall global risk from the outbreak as “low,” it maintained that the risk for passengers and crew onboard the ship remains moderate.
The agency explained that while Andes hantavirus does not spread as easily as highly airborne diseases such as measles, the crowded cruise ship environment likely increased transmission risks.
“The ship environment presented an increased risk due to close living quarters, shared indoor spaces, prolonged exposure, and frequent interpersonal interactions,” WHO stated.
Andes hantavirus is primarily transmitted through contact with infected rodents or contaminated surfaces and is endemic in parts of South America, particularly Argentina and Chile. However, it remains one of the few hantaviruses capable of limited human-to-human transmission.
WHO said previous outbreaks showed that transmission usually occurred among close contacts in confined indoor settings and generally required prolonged exposure.
He disclosed that there is currently no approved antiviral treatment for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, the severe respiratory disease caused by Andes virus infection.
WHO warned that critically ill patients may require intensive care, mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, ECMO, to survive severe illness.
The agency has recommended 42 days of quarantine and active monitoring for high-risk contacts, while low-risk contacts have been advised to self-monitor and seek medical attention immediately if symptoms develop.
WHO also disclosed that nearly 1,000 communications have already taken place between countries through International Health Regulations channels as governments coordinate contact tracing and outbreak response efforts.
“At this time, WHO does not recommend any changes to routine activities for the general public,” WHO stressed, adding that no international travel or trade restrictions had been imposed beyond movement limitations for identified high-risk contacts.
WHO said investigations into the exact mode of transmission remain ongoing as scientists continue examining whether infections occurred through contaminated surfaces, respiratory droplets, or airborne particles.
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