Three people aboard the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius have died and several others have fallen ill, triggering a major international public health response involving countries in Europe, Africa and Latin America.
The first alert came from the United Kingdom, which informed Who The ship was quarantined under the International Health Regulations (IHR) after passengers developed severe respiratory illness during a voyage from Argentina to Cabo Verde.
briefing to journalists In Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Said that eight cases have been reported so far Five laboratory-confirmed infections and three suspected cases Linked to rare Andes strain of hantavirus
low risk to humans
Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses spread by rodents and usually spread to humans through contact with infected animals or their urine, saliva or droppings (Checkout WHO’s Hantavirus factsheet here).
The Andes strain, found in parts of Latin America, is the only known hantavirus capable of limited human-to-human transmission.
According to WHO, transmission usually requires close and prolonged contactEspecially between household members, intimate partners or healthcare workers.
“At this stage, The overall public health risk remains low”Dr Tedros said.
WHO officials have been clear that the outbreak is very different from the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, which killed millions of people worldwide.
“This is not SARS-CoV-2. This is not the beginning of a COVID pandemic,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s acting director of epidemiology and pandemic management.
“Hantavirus has been around for a long time. We know this virus. It does not spread the way corona virus spreads“
investigation underway
The first known patient developed symptoms on 6 April and later died on board the ship. His wife also became ill and died after being flown to South Africa, where laboratory testing confirmed hantavirus infection.
Before boarding, the pair had traveled to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on a bird-watching trip, which included visiting places where rodent species carrying the virus are present.
Another passenger died on 2 May and while one man remains in intensive care in South Africa, WHO said his condition was improving. Other patients have been transferred to hospitals in the Netherlands for treatment.
Who said None of the passengers or crew currently on board are showing symptoms..
international efforts
The outbreak has triggered action under the International Health Regulations, a global framework designed to coordinate responses to cross-border health threats.
WHO said it is working closely with authorities Cabo Verde, Spain, the Netherlands, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Argentina, with the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
Spain has agreed to allow the ship to dock in the Canary Islands – an autonomous Spanish community – after Cabo Verde’s request was rejected due to public health concerns.
Dr. Tedros thanked Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for his act of “solidarity” and “moral duty.”
“The risk is really low for people in the Canary Islands“
WHO initiative in Cabo Verde
A WHO expert, Dutch doctors and a European disease expert boarded the ship in Cabo Verde earlier this week and are overseeing medical assessment and infection prevention measures during the trip to Tenerife.
talking to united nations newsAnn Lindstrand, WHO representative in Cabo Verde, said the agency has been supporting local authorities since the beginning of the outbreak response.
“We are able to bring medical supplies during the visit to the Canary Islands If someone becomes ill on the boat, there will be physicians and supplies available to be able to care for them during the voyage.
He said that in coordination with WHO, national health officials are contacting travelers advising them to seek immediate medical attention if symptoms develop.
Passengers still on board the aircraft have been asked to remain in their cabins until disinfection procedures are completed. If anyone develops symptoms, he will be immediately isolated.
social media disinformation
- Hantaviruses are a group of viruses spread by rodents that can cause serious disease in humans.
- People usually become infected by contact with infected rodents or their urine, feces or saliva.
- Hantavirus infection can cause a wide variety of illnesses, including serious illness and death.
- In the US, hantaviruses can cause hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), a serious respiratory illness with a case fatality rate of up to 50 percent.
- Andes virus, found in South America, is the only currently known hantavirus with limited human-to-human transmission documented between contacts.
- In Europe and Asia, hantaviruses cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
Addressing the disinformation spread on social media, Dr. Abdirahman Mahmoud of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, stressed that No indication that this is the early stages of the epidemic.
Infections have occurred in a limited setting, involving prolonged close contact between passengers aboard ships, similar to the limited Andes hantavirus outbreak recorded in Argentina in 2018–2019. In that case, transmission was linked to a social gathering that included a symptomatic person and resulted in only a few cases.
Dr Mahmood said existing public health measures, including contact tracing, isolation and surveillance, are well understood and can effectively break the chain of transmission, making a large-scale epidemic unlikely.
monitoring continues
WHO warns that additional cases may still emerge due to the incubation period of Andes hantavirus can be up to six weeks.
“Viruses don’t care about politics, and they don’t care about borders,” Dr. Tedros said. “Our best defense is unity“
