The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported eight confirmed cases of hantavirus, including three deaths.
Speaking at a Media Conference on Thursday, WHO Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that the virus is a result of contact with rodents.
“Five of the eight cases have been confirmed as hantavirus, and the other three are suspected. Hantaviruses are a group of viruses carried by rodents that can cause severe disease in humans. People are usually infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings, or saliva.”
Dr. Ghebreyesus said the recent outbreak on board a cruise ship should not cause widespread alarm.
He also assured the public that the hantavirus is not similar to COVID-19, as speculated on social media platforms.
“Given the incubation period of the Andes virus, which can be up to six weeks, it’s possible that more cases may be reported. While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low. It also shows why the International Health Regulations exist and how they work.”
Dozens of passengers from the luxury cruise that departed from Argentina disembarked on the island of St Helena on April 24th, prompting international contact tracing efforts.
International contact tracing efforts have begun and the WHO has identified 12 countries linked to passengers from the cruise.
“Those 12 countries are Canada, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.”
While tracing of potential contacts continues, Dr. Abdirahman Mahamud, Director of the WHO’s Alert and Response Coordination Department, says the likelihood of sustained transmission remains low.
“We don’t anticipate a large epidemic. With the experience our member states have and the actions they have taken, we believe that this will not lead to a subsequent chain of transmission, but we need to be balanced, reasonable, supportive solidarity in containing this outbreak.”
The WHO reiterates that hantavirus spreads very differently from COVID-19 and that the global infection risk remains low.