Hantavirus: Global risk low, says WHO
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the global risk from the recent hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship was low, despite confirmation of new infections and deaths. Speaking
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the global risk from the recent hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship was low, despite confirmation of new infections and deaths.
Speaking during a live press briefing in Geneva on Thursday, WHO officials confirmed five laboratory-verified cases connected to the outbreak and said investigations were ongoing into additional suspected infections across several countries.
The agency disclosed that three people had died from complications linked to the virus, identified as the Andes strain of hantavirus, a rare type capable of limited human-to-human transmission through prolonged close contact.
WHO emergency officials stressed that the situation was being closely monitored, urging against panic.
It said available evidence does not indicate the beginning of a global pandemic.
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“WHO currently assesses the risk to the global population from this event as low,” Tweeted Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during the latest outbreak update.
Health authorities in at least 12 countries, it said, were now tracing passengers and crew members who disembarked from the affected cruise ship before containment measures were implemented.
According to the WHO, most hantavirus infections are contracted through exposure to rodents or their droppings, though the Andes strain has previously been associated with rare instances of person-to-person spread in South America.
Officials said surveillance, contact tracing, and testing had been intensified, while affected countries were advised to strengthen public health preparedness and risk communication.
WHO also appealed for calm, noting that hantavirus does not spread as easily as respiratory viruses such as COVID-19 or influenza.
The United Nations health agency said it would continue to provide technical support to affected countries and release further updates as investigations progress.
