‘We Know This Virus’: WHO Calms Fears Over Hantavirus Amid Covid Comparisons

Amid the scare over outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday dismissed concerns that it could spiral into a global pandemic.

The luxury expedition ship MV Hondius, carrying nearly 150 passengers and crew, departed from Ushuaia in southern Argentina on 1 April. It visited remote locations including parts of Antarctica and the Atlantic islands of Tristan da Cunha and Saint Helena before the outbreak became apparent.

The cases involve the Andes strain of hantavirus — one of the few variants known to spread from person to person, albeit rarely and only through very close contact.

The incident triggered international concern after passengers from multiple countries were identified onboard,

leading several governments to begin precautionary screening and quarantine measures.

On Thursday, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, a director at the UN health agency, said at a press conference that the hantavirus outbreak is not similar to the coronavirus pandemic.

While emphasising that it was not the start of a pandemic, she said: “This is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very, very differently. We know this virus. Hantavirus has been around for many years.”

“This is not the same situation we were in six years ago,” she added.

WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the incident as “a serious incident” but added that the risk to public health remains low.

The WHO experts pointed out that the hantavirus outbreak was “limited” to the cruise ship in the Atlantic as long as public health measures and “solidarity” are implemented.

“We believe this will be a limited outbreak if the public health measures are implemented and solidarity shown across all countries,” said emergency alert and response director Abdi Rahman Mahamud at the press conference.

Meanwhile, the WHO has said five cases of the virus have been confirmed and three are suspected.