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The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially alerted 12 countries to monitor and trace individuals who disembarked from the MV Hondius cruise ship, which has been linked to hantavirus cases. Despite the outbreak being anticipated to remain contained, the WHO cautions that more cases could arise. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported on Thursday that there have been five confirmed cases and three suspected ones, including three fatalities. He emphasized that the incubation period for the Andes strain can extend up to six weeks, indicating that additional cases may surface in the near future. Tedros stated, “Given the incubation period of the Andes virus, which can be up to six weeks, it’s possible that more cases may be reported.”

Abdi Rahman Mahamud, the WHO’s emergency director, noted that the outbreak should remain “limited” if robust public health measures and international collaboration are maintained.

Countries on Alert

The WHO has reached out to the following 12 nations regarding passengers who left the ship in Saint Helena:

• Netherlands
• Germany
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Switzerland
• South Africa
• Turkey
• Argentina
• Chile
• Uruguay
• Australia
• Belgium

Health officials in these countries are actively tracing passengers and their close contacts.

MV Hondius Heads to Tenerife

The MV Hondius is set to reach Tenerife in the Canary Islands on Sunday. Spanish authorities are preparing a significant operation to assess passengers while ensuring they remain isolated from the local community. Non-Spanish nationals will be repatriated directly to waiting flights, even if they exhibit mild symptoms. A fourth ill passenger was evacuated and flown to Amsterdam on Thursday. According to Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship’s operator, there are currently no new symptomatic cases on board.

Details on Fatalities and Outbreak Origin

The initial fatalities involved a Dutch couple, with the husband passing away on board on April 11, followed by his wife’s death in South Africa. A German passenger died on May 2, and her remains are still on the ship. Argentine officials have yet to determine the exact source of the outbreak, although the ship departed from Ushuaia on April 1 after passengers visited Chile and Uruguay. The WHO continues to emphasize that the Andes strain is transmitted only through very close and prolonged contact, maintaining that the risk to the general public is low. Contact tracing efforts are underway across multiple continents as authorities strive to manage what has escalated into an international health alert involving passengers from 23 nations.