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Evacuations of Hantavirus Affected People/WHO: Work to Stop the Outbreak Is Not Over

2026-05-12 14:34:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Evacuations of Hantavirus Affected People/WHO: Work to Stop the Outbreak Is Not

Efforts to contain the latest hantavirus outbreak are not over yet, said World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Tedros' comments came shortly after it was announced that all people on board the virus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius had been evacuated from Spain's Canary Islands.

In a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Tedros said there was no sign that a larger outbreak was beginning, but according to him the situation could change and given the long incubation period of the virus, it is possible that more cases will appear in the coming weeks.

On April 1, 2026, the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius departed Argentina. Ten days later, a passenger died of hantavirus while on board, and his wife died a few days later in a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa.

A third passenger, a German woman, lost her life and it was decided that the MV Hondius would be anchored in Tenerife while passengers were tested for the virus and those who were sick could be evacuated.

On Sunday and Monday, the remaining 120 passengers on board the Hondius were evacuated. So far, there have been eleven confirmed cases of hantavirus. The patients are in Spain, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Several countries have confirmed their commitment to WHO guidelines on quarantine protocols and contact tracing. A Dutch hospital announced that 12 employees who did not follow the proper instructions would have to be quarantined for 6 weeks.

The WHO has stressed that hantavirus is not similar to COVID-19. Hantavirus has an incubation period of 4 to 42 days. It can cause fever, muscle aches and abdominal problems. However, it is also possible to have an asymptomatic case. /CNA





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