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GENEVA – The World Health Organization (WHO) officially announced on Thursday that the hantavirus outbreak linked to an expedition cruise ship has come to an end.
The declaration follows the successful completion of the mandatory 42-day quarantine and monitoring period by the final individual exposed to the virus. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that the contact tested negative for the virus and has safely returned home.
According to health authorities, no new infections or related cases have been reported since May 25.
Outbreak Toll: 13 Cases and 3 Fatalities
The outbreak, which occurred entirely among passengers and crew members aboard the cruise vessel “MV Hondius”, registered a total of 13 cases—comprising 12 confirmed cases and one probable case. Tragically, three deaths were recorded, with at least two officially confirmed to be caused by the virus.
The health agency was initially notified of the situation on May 2, following reports of a cluster of severe acute respiratory illnesses on the ship. The leading scientific hypothesis indicates that the index patient (the first case) contracted the virus while on land, prior to boarding the vessel.
Massive Contact Tracing Across 33 Countries
In a swift international response to contain the pathogen, health officials tracked and monitored more than 650 close contacts spanning 33 countries and territories. Among those monitored were 18 American passengers, whose quarantine periods concluded last week without further incident.
The primary concern during the outbreak was that at least 11 of the confirmed cases tested positive for the Andes virus strain. This specific variant of hantavirus is particularly rare and dangerous, as it is the only known strain capable of human-to-human transmission.
“Although the outbreak is over, WHO will continue working with governments and partners to advance our understanding of this outbreak and of hantavirus more generally,” Dr. Tedros stated. He added that a collaborative study involving 21 nations is underway to analyze disease progression, which will aid in developing future diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines
