Hantavirus Situation Stable, WHO Chief Says

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on May 25 that the hantavirus situation is stable for now, after 12 cases, resulting in three deaths, were reported.

The outbreak of the rare, deadly virus is believed to have originated in Latin America after an infected traveler boarded the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius in early April, infecting other passengers.

The WHO recently confirmed that the virus on the ship was the Andes variant, the only type of hantavirus known to be capable of human-to-human transmission.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote in a post on X on May 25 that since May 2, no other fatalities have been reported.

“All passengers and crew remain in quarantine and under close monitoring to ensure they receive care if needed,” Tedros said.

“The situation is stable for now. We continue to remain vigilant and in close contact with all relevant governments.”

Tedros’s update follows Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s signing of a Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act declaration “to support the development and deployment of medical countermeasures related to Andes virus, which can cause the deadly respiratory illness Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome.”

Kennedy said in a May 22 statement posted on X that the PREP Act declaration “helps remove barriers to research and response efforts while we continue monitoring the recent outbreak linked to the South Atlantic cruise ship.”

“HHS is taking this situation seriously and will continue working to protect public health and support the safe development of potential treatments and countermeasures,” Kennedy said.

A Dutch couple and a German woman have died from the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on May 15 that there were no cases of the hantavirus in the United States.

Acting CDC Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said in May 15 comments to reporters that the risk to the general public “remains extremely low.”

What Is the Hantavirus?

Hantaviruses are a genus of viruses that are primarily carried by rodents, especially mice and rats. In North America, the most common carrier of hantavirus is the deer mouse.

The virus is transmitted to humans through contact with infected rodent urine, droppings, or saliva, or through inhalation of aerosolized particles contaminated with these excretions.

Of all known strains, only the Andes virus has been documented to potentially spread from person to person, and even then, transmission generally requires close, prolonged contact and remains rare.

Before the new outbreak, Andes had been restricted to parts of Latin America, particularly Argentina.

In the case of the MV Hondius, experts with the WHO speculate that the first passenger suspected to have died from hantavirus, the Dutch man, likely contracted it in Argentina. When he boarded the ship, he spread the virus to other passengers, including his wife, who also died.

Three Fatalities

The 70-year-old Dutch man became sick, with fever, headache, and mild diarrhea, on board the MV Hondius on April 6. Before boarding, he and his wife had gone sightseeing in Ushuaia, Argentina, and traveled elsewhere in Argentina and Chile, according to the WHO.

He died aboard the ship on April 11, after developing respiratory distress. At the time, the cause of death could not be determined.

His wife developed symptoms and, after disembarking from the ship, took a commercial flight from St. Helena island to South Africa. On April 26, she died in South Africa after collapsing at an airport while trying to board another plane home.

A German woman who fell sick aboard the ship later died on board the vessel on May 2.

George Citroner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.