WHO sounds global alert after deadly Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified all passengers and crew aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius as “high-risk” contacts following a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has already claimed three lives.

Speaking at a media briefing, Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, said everyone on board must undergo active monitoring for 42 days after disembarkation.

“We classify everybody on board as what we call a high-risk contact,” she said, noting that no passengers or crew members currently under observation are showing symptoms. However, she stressed that all individuals leaving the vessel should be closely monitored during the incubation period.

The ship is expected to dock in the Canary Islands on Sunday, though WHO said the broader public risk in the region remains “low”.

According to a WHO Disease Outbreak News update issued on Saturday, the first cases of severe respiratory illness aboard the ship were reported on 2 May. At the time, 147 passengers and crew members remained onboard, while another 34 had already disembarked.

As of 8 May, health authorities have identified eight symptomatic cases, including three fatalities. Six of the infections have been laboratory-confirmed as Andes virus hantavirus — a rare but potentially deadly strain known to cause severe respiratory disease.

WHO said all relevant national contact points have been alerted and international contact tracing efforts are now underway to track passengers and crew across multiple countries.

The agency has urged governments involved to strengthen public health coordination, including surveillance, case management, infection prevention and transparent public communication.

Health experts warned that early symptoms of hantavirus infection can resemble common viral illnesses, including fever, chills, headache, dizziness, muscle pain and gastrointestinal distress such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.

Although the risk of transmission remains limited, WHO noted that pre-symptomatic spread observed in earlier Andes virus outbreaks cannot be fully ruled out. As a precaution, the agency advised low-risk contacts to self-monitor for symptoms, seek medical evaluation if unwell and wear masks if symptoms develop.

The outbreak has once again highlighted the vulnerability of enclosed travel environments to infectious disease clusters, prompting renewed scrutiny of onboard health surveillance and international outbreak response systems.

With IANS inputs