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    • WHO: Hantavirus Risk Remains Low Despite Cruise Ship Outbreak

    By on May 10, 2026
    Hantavirus
    Hantavirus

    Geneva:  The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against overstating concerns surrounding hantavirus, affirming that the virus does not indicate the emergence of a new pandemic and does not spread in the same manner as the coronavirus.

    Maria Van Kerkhove, Acting Director of the WHO Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Threat Management, said during a press conference in Geneva that most hantaviruses are not transmitted between humans.

    She added that the current public health risk remains low globally and in the Canary Islands, where the cruise ship MV Hondius is currently located.

    The WHO stated that the outbreak is linked to the Andes virus, the only known hantavirus capable of limited human-to-human transmission through close and prolonged contact, particularly in enclosed environments.

    The organization noted that the risk is mainly limited to passengers aboard the vessel, where precautionary measures have been implemented, including isolating infected individuals, disinfecting cabins, deploying a health expert to the ship and providing thousands of diagnostic tests to support screening efforts.

    According to the WHO, eight cases linked to the vessel have been recorded so far, including three deaths, while the overall risk assessment remains low.

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