WHO says cruise-linked hantavirus outbreak is over after final contact tests negative

The World Health Organization has declared a cruise-linked hantavirus outbreak over after the last identified contact completed quarantine and tested negative for the virus. The announcement closes an incident that began after an exposure linked to the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius and drew follow-up across multiple continents. WHO said no further cases have been reported since 25 May.

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According to WHO, the outbreak infected 13 people and killed three. The final exposed contact finished quarantine, returned home and tested negative, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday. He added that more than 650 contacts were identified and followed up by health authorities in 33 countries and territories, reflecting the scale of the tracing effort.

The ship sailed from Ushuaia in Argentina on 1 April and later visited remote islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, including Tristan da Cunha, before heading north to Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands. Remaining passengers were flown home from Tenerife, and the vessel later docked in Rotterdam on 18 May. After cleaning and disinfection, the ship was cleared to sail again on 30 May.

The outbreak involved the rare Andes hantavirus strain, which typically circulates in Argentina and Chile. WHO said the virus is notable because it is the only known hantavirus that can spread through close, prolonged human-to-human contact. That makes the incident significant beyond the cruise itself, because it required public health authorities to trace contacts across borders and monitor people who may have been exposed during travel.

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Hantaviruses are usually associated with rodents and can infect people through contact with rats or mice, or through their urine, droppings and saliva. The virus can also become airborne during cleaning of infested areas. WHO said patients can develop fever, headache, muscle aches and gastrointestinal symptoms between one and eight weeks after exposure, and severe cases can progress quickly to breathing difficulties and fluid accumulation in the lungs.

WHO said it will continue working to understand the outbreak and the virus itself, including a study involving 21 countries aimed at improving knowledge of how the disease develops. The agency said that work is intended to support future diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. What remains unclear is how the initial exposure occurred on the ship and whether any additional lessons will emerge from the international contact-tracing operation.

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