WHO says risk to public is low after suspected hantavirus outbreak hits ship

May 4, 2026 4:56 PM

WHO says risk to public is low after suspected hantavirus outbreak hits ship

The World Health Organization said on Monday there was no need for panic and the risk to the public was low after three people died and three fell ill following a suspected ​outbreak of the rodent-borne hantaviruson a cruise shipin the Atlantic. Netherlands-based Oceanwide Expeditions said it was "managing a serious medical situation" on a polar expedition ship, the MV Hondius, which was off Cape Verde, an island nation off Africa's western coast. The cruise left Argentina about three weeks ...

What is the hantavirus that killed three cruise ship passengers?

May 4, 2026 9:55 AM

What is the hantavirus that killed three cruise ship passengers?

Three people have died and three are ill after a Netherlands-based cruise ship was hit by a suspected outbreak of hantavirus, authorities and media reports said on Sunday. Here is information about the virus. SPREAD BY RODENTS Hantavirus is primarily spread by rodents but can be transmitted between people in rare cases, according to the World Health Organization. People most typically become infected when virus in rodent droppings, saliva and urine becomes airborne, such as when areas where ...