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WHO: Human-to-human transmission suspected on hantavirus cruise ship

Article (news)

Hantavirus Andes strain

Reuters Wires

<p>The World Health Organization said there may be some human-to-human transmission happening between close contacts on board the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak.</p><p>&quot;We do believe that there may be some human to human transmission that&#x27;s happening among the really close contacts, the husband and wife, people who have shared cabins,&quot; Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO Director of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, told reporters in Geneva.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/5/4/explainer-what-is-hantavirus-1844">EXPLAINER: Spread by rodents, Hantavirus is potentially fatal, with no specific cure</a></div><p>WHO has confirmed two cases of hantavirus and five suspected cases among passengers on the Hondius, which set off from Argentina in March on an Antarctic nature expedition. </p><p>The seven cases included three deaths, a Dutch couple and a German national, one critically ill British passenger evacuated to South Africa, and three people with mild symptoms, the WHO said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/5/4/three-die-on-atlantic-cruise-ship-from-suspected-hantavirus-who-1247">Three die on Atlantic cruise ship from suspected hantavirus: WHO</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/5/5/what-is-hantavirus-and-can-it-spread-between-humans-0926">What is hantavirus, and can it spread between humans?</a></div><p>The WHO said the risk to the wider public was low from the disease, which is typically spread by infected rodents and only rarely passes between humans.</p><p>Data from maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic shows the ship had been visiting some of the most remote places on Earth, including Tristan da Cunha, an island in the South Atlantic between Argentina and South Africa.</p><p>Van Kerkhove said that the agency&#x27;s working assumption was that the hantavirus on the ship is the Andes virus, which spreads in South America, including Argentina, and that testing is underway. The Hondius left Ushuaia in southern Argentina in March. </p><p>She added that the WHO also currently believed that the first people who got sick were infected before boarding the ship. </p><p>Human to human transmission is uncommon, Van Kerkhove said, as people are usually infected by hantavirus through contact with infected rodents or their urine, their droppings or their saliva. </p><p>However, a limited spread among close contacts has been observed in some previous outbreaks with the Andes strain, the WHO said. </p><p>The WHO said it had been informed that there were no rats on board the ship and that it will look at all the different types of contact people had.</p><p>&quot;Some people on the ship were couples, they were sharing rooms so that&#x27;s quite intimate contact,&quot; Van Kerkhove said.</p><p>The agency said the focus now was to evacuate two sick passengers and then for the ship, currently held in the Atlantic near Cape Verde, to continue to the Canary Islands. It said the risk to the wider public remained low.</p><p>Anyone symptomatic on the ship and those caring for patients are wearing full personal protective equipment, with extra supplies having been brought on to the boat, Van Kerkhove stated.</p><div><em>(Production: Cecile Mantovani)</em></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/67fG4rjY7eA?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PQ8xI-kE7eU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N0ymoRmhsOc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The World Health Organization said there may be some human-to-human transmission happening between close contacts on board the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak.</p>

The World Health Organization said there may be some human-to-human transmission happening between close contacts on board the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak.

WHO: Human-to-human transmission suspected on hantavirus cruise ship

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WHO: Human-to-human transmission suspected on hantavirus cruise ship

Reuters

Published May 05, 2026 11:30 PM PHT

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hantavirus

health

world health organization

Hondius

Argentina

cape verde

Andes strain

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