Hantavirus cases linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship climbed to 11 on Tuesday, May 12, leaving health authorities worldwide scrambling to manage an outbreak with no approved vaccine or targeted treatment in existence.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) confirmed nine cases and two probable cases as of Tuesday, following a cluster of severe respiratory illness aboard the Dutch-flagged vessel carrying passengers and crew from 23 countries, including nine from European Union and European Economic Area nations.
The ship departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1. A passenger died from the virus on April 11, with a second passenger later dying in Johannesburg and a third aboard the vessel. A French woman remains hospitalised in intensive care in stable condition.
French Health Minister Stephanie Rist confirmed that the Andes strain is uniquely dangerous among hantaviruses: it is the only hantavirus that spreads between humans, typically requiring close and prolonged contact.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned Tuesday that the containment work is far from finished, saying “our work is not over to contain hantavirus” at a joint press conference in Madrid alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
The WHO recommends a 42-day quarantine for exposed passengers, though the United States signalled a different approach. Acting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Jay Bhattacharya indicated American passengers may not be subject to mandatory quarantine.
Sixteen American cruise ship passengers arrived at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, with 15 placed in the quarantine unit and one confirmed case admitted to the biocontainment unit.
The outbreak has exposed a stark medical gap. Hantavirus has no specific vaccine or approved treatment, adding urgency to monitoring and containment efforts as countries adopt varying health protocols for returning passengers.
Health officials stress that the global public health risk remains low and reject comparisons to the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, given the long incubation period of the virus, additional cases in the coming weeks cannot be ruled out.
