The World Health Organization on Friday said the risk posed by hantavirus to the general public remained minimal as countries prepared to repatriate passengers stranded aboard a cruise ship affected by a deadly outbreak.
Three passengers aboard the MV Hondius — a Dutch couple and a German woman — have died from the rare disease, while several others fell ill. Hantavirus is typically spread through rodents.
Health authorities confirmed that the infections involved the Andes virus, the only hantavirus strain known to spread from person to person, prompting international concern over the outbreak.
The Dutch-flagged vessel, carrying around 150 people, is expected to reach the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife on Sunday. Authorities are arranging special flights to return passengers to their home countries.
WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told reporters that although the virus was dangerous for infected individuals, the threat to the wider public remained extremely low.
He said emerging evidence from the ship suggested limited human-to-human transmission, noting that in some cases even cabin-sharing passengers had not both contracted the virus.
“That shows you again, luckily, apparently, the virus is not that contagious that it easily jumps from person to person,” Lindmeier said.
The WHO has confirmed five cases of hantavirus and identified three suspected cases. However, no suspected cases currently remain aboard the ship, with further updates expected later on Friday.
Meanwhile, a flight attendant for Dutch carrier KLM who had contact with an infected passenger and later developed mild symptoms tested negative for hantavirus, according to the WHO.
The infected passenger — the wife of the first victim who died in the outbreak — had briefly boarded a Johannesburg-to-Netherlands flight on April 25 before being removed prior to departure. She later died in a Johannesburg hospital.
Lindmeier described the negative test result as encouraging, saying it demonstrated that close contact with an infected person did not necessarily lead to infection.
“It’s not spreading anything close to how Covid was spreading,” he added.
Donald Trump said on Thursday that he had been briefed on the situation, telling reporters that authorities hoped the outbreak was under control.
The MV Hondius departed from Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina, on April 1 for an Atlantic voyage bound for Cape Verde. The vessel is also known for conducting polar expeditions.
Three suspected cases, including two crew members who later tested positive, were evacuated from Cape Verde to the Netherlands for treatment.
YouTuber Kasem Ibn Hattuta, who is among the passengers aboard the ship, said travellers were reassured after doctors joined the vessel before it departed for Tenerife.
“We finally left Cape Verde, which was a relief for everyone on board, especially knowing that our sick colleagues are finally getting the medical care they need,” he said in a statement.
He added that passengers remained calm, continued wearing masks indoors and practised social distancing measures while onboard.
The ship has since passed the Mauritanian coast as it continues towards the Canary Islands.
Spanish authorities said the first passengers would begin returning home on Sunday following the ship’s arrival. Officials also confirmed that the vessel would remain anchored offshore and would not dock in Tenerife.
Passengers are expected to be transferred to the airport by smaller boats before boarding repatriation flights.
British authorities have chartered a special flight from Tenerife for UK passengers and crew members.
UK Health Security Agency chief scientific officer Robin May said infection-control measures would be implemented throughout the repatriation process to ensure passenger safety.
During its voyage, the ship also stopped at several isolated British territories in the South Atlantic, including Saint Helena.
The UKHSA said on Friday that there was also a suspected hantavirus case on Tristan da Cunha, one of the world’s most remote inhabited islands with a population of about 250 people.