The (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday (local time) said the total number of hantavirus cases linked to a Dutch-flagged cruise ship at the centre of an outbreak rose to 13.
In a post on X, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “Spain reported a new case among the passengers who are in quarantine, which brings the total number of cases to 13.”
He added, “There are no new deaths reported since May 2. The total number of deaths remains three out of 13 reported cases so far.”
“The situation remains stable. Passengers who got sick are receiving the needed care, while others remain in quarantine,” the WHO chief said.
Hantavirus outbreak
is typically transmitted through exposure to rodents or contact with their urine, saliva, or droppings. However, the WHO has noted that the rare Andes strain can occasionally spread between humans. A CBS News report stated that the WHO suspects person-to-person transmission may have occurred aboard the affected ship, which was on an extended polar expedition from Argentina to Antarctica and remote South Atlantic islands. In humans, the virus can have a fatality rate of as high as 50 per cent.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (), death rates vary depending on which hantavirus causes the illness. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is fatal in about 35 per cent of people infected, while the death rate for hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome varies from 1 per cent to 15 per cent among patients.
WHO chief urges calm among Tenerife residents
The development comes weeks after all remaining passengers, crew members, and medical staff disembarked from the luxury liner at the centre of the outbreak.
Earlier this month, the WHO chief urged the people of Tenerife to remain calm as the cruise ship carrying passengers exposed to the virus was set to disembark them.
In a lengthy post on X, he wrote, “I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word ‘outbreak’ or ‘epidemic’ and see a ship approaching your shores, memories surface that none of us has fully overcome. The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not minimise it for a moment.”
Tedros has consistently noted that the hantavirus outbreak is not another , and that the public health risk from the virus remains low. The WHO chief addressed the concerns of Tenerife residents after dock workers in Tenerife gathered outside the Canary Islands’ parliament building in the town of Santa Cruz to voice concerns that the imminent arrival could pose a health risk to them.
Spanish national evacuated from cruise ship tests positive
Earlier on Monday, Spain’s Health Ministry said that a Spanish national in quarantine at a Madrid military hospital, who is among those evacuated from a cruise ship earlier this month, tested positive for hantavirus, making it the second positive case among the 14 Spanish nationals who were evacuated from the MV Hondius in Tenerife.
MV Hondius to undergo extra cleaning
AP reported on Tuesday that the cruise ship at the centre of the outbreak is undergoing further cleaning before it returns to its home port, the company that operates it said.
In a written statement, Oceanwide Expeditions said the extra work is being carried out on the advice of the GGD local health authority in the port city of Rotterdam, where the vessel returned early last week. Its home port is in nearby Vlissingen in the southern .
“Based on their inspection findings, GGD has advised additional cleaning,” the cruise company said. “Following completion of this work, GGD will conduct a final inspection before the vessel can depart from Rotterdam.”
Previously, Oceanwide Expeditions stated that it did not anticipate any disruptions to the MV Hondius’ schedule, including its planned Arctic voyage departing from Keflavik, Iceland, on 29 May. However, the company has recently clarified that all trips scheduled from 13 June onward will continue as planned, adding that no additional interruptions to the m/v Hondius sailing schedule are expected.
