WHO: Hantavirus outbreak is not the "beginning of a new pandemic"

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that the outbreak of hanta virus on a cruise ship that killed 3 people is not currently the "beginning of a pandemic" or a "pandemic".

Maria Van Kerkhove, director of the WHO's Pandemic and Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness, said: "This is not the beginning of a pandemic. "It's not the start of a pandemic, but it's an opportunity to remind us of the importance of investing in pathogen-centric research like this virus, because treatments, vaccines and diagnostics save lives."

The MV Hondos, bound from Argentina to Cape Verde, has become the focus of international attention since the World Health Organization announced on Sunday,  May 3, 2026, the death of three passengers on board, likely to be the Hanta virus.

"With the information provided so far by the relevant countries and the participating national agencies, the source of the infection cannot be confirmed," the Argentine health ministry said after a meeting with authorities from all 24 Argentine provinces.   

"We believe that this incident will remain limited if public health measures are implemented, and if all countries show solidarity," said WHO Director of Health Alert and Response Operations, Abdi Rahman Mahmoud, speaking during the first WHO press conference since the start of the crisis.

Its Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the conference: "To date, 8 cases have been reported  , including 3 deaths. "Five of these cases have been found to be  caused by hantavirus, while the other three are considered suspect."

The MV Hondius has sailed across the Atlantic since April 1, on a voyage from Cape Verde to the Canary Islands, where the remaining 150 passengers and crew will be monitored before being allowed to return home.

Argentina sends 2,500 test kits for the virus

On Thursday, Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship's operator, announced that 30 passengers from at least 12 nationalities had left the ship during its April 24 stop on the British island of St. Helena. It said the remaining passengers were asymptomatic.

"The World Health Organization (WHO) has informed the 12 countries whose nationals have disembarked in St. Helena, which are Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, St. Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Britain and the United States," Tedros said, adding that Argentina will send about 2,500 test kits for the virus to five countries.

Two Dutch hospitals announced Thursday that two of the evacuated passengers had the virus, and the three passengers who have died since the voyage began are a German woman and the Dutch couple who had toured South America before the cruise.

The MV Hondius is expected to arrive in Spain's Canary Islands this weekend, and Tedros said he was in constant contact with its captain.

What is hantavirus?

Hantavirus is a group of viruses that are mostly transmitted to humans through infected rodents, through inhalation of particles contaminated with their urine, feces or saliva.

The virus is a zoonotic disease that is mainly associated with rodent environments, and is usually transmitted between humans only in very rare cases related to certain strains such as the Andean virus.

The incubation period of the virus is usually between one week and 6 to 8 weeks, making it complicated in some cases to trace the source of infection.

Initial symptoms often begin with high fever, general fatigue, muscle aches, headache and dizziness, before progressing in more serious cases to severe complications including respiratory or kidney failure that can be life-threatening.

How serious the disease is

Hantavirus disease is divided into two main types of infections, which differ in the nature of symptoms and the severity of the effect on the body. The first type is hantavirus-associated pulmonary syndrome, which directly affects the respiratory tract and has a mortality rate of about 35 to 40% in severe cases.

The second type is hemorrhagic fever with nephrotic syndrome, which primarily affects kidney function and may in some cases lead to a sharp drop in blood pressure, internal bleeding, and severe kidney failure that requires intensive medical intervention.

Despite the seriousness of these symptoms, the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes that the risk of human-to-human transmission remains very low, and that direct infection requires very close and prolonged contact, which is rare under normal conditions.