“This is not COVID,” a WHO spokesperson told reporters at a briefing in Geneva, as the agency continues to coordinate the response to the deadly outbreak on a cruise ship docked in Cape Verde.
To date, three people have died and several more have fallen ill aboard the Dutch-flagged ship Hondius, prompting a major international public health response involving countries in Europe, Africa and Latin America.
“Let’s not forget the couples who were close… from a flight attendant who treated the sick woman who died shortly after and felt extremely ill, we received negative test results. This should convince almost everyone that this is a dangerous virus, but only to the person who is actually infected. And the risk for the general population remains absolutely low.”said WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier.
According to the WHO, eight cases of infection have been reported so far, including five laboratory-confirmed infections and three suspected cases related to the rare Andean strain of hantavirus.
No comparison to COVID
“I need to emphasize again and again that even those who have been sharing cabins do not appear to be both infected in some cases…nothing like how COVID was spreading is spreading”said Mr. Lindmeier.
Beyond the Hantius cruise ship where the outbreak was first reported, contact tracing of potentially infected people has continued.
“You’re keeping track of everyone. You’re looking at seat lists on airplanes, on ships, maybe even more tracing someone’s steps, seeing where they would have been or could have been in close contact,” Mr. Lindmeier said.
According to the WHO, transmission generally requires close and prolonged contact, particularly between household members, intimate partners or healthcare workers.
Still, the wife whose infected husband is being treated in a Swiss hospital “has not shown any symptoms and is self-isolating… This shows, once again, that fortunately the virus is apparently not that contagious,” Lindmeier said.
The first known patient developed symptoms on April 6 and subsequently died aboard the ship. His wife also became ill and died after being evacuated to South Africa, where laboratory tests confirmed hantavirus infection.
Rodent Risk
Before boarding, the couple had traveled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on a bird-watching trip, including visits to sites where the rodent species known to carry the virus is present.
Another passenger died on May 2, and while one man remains in intensive care in South Africa, the WHO said his condition is improving. Other patients have been transferred to hospitals in the Netherlands for treatment.
The WHO said no passengers or crew currently remaining on board the ship are showing symptoms.
Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses carried by rodents and are generally transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals or their urine, saliva, or droppings (check out WHO hantavirus fact sheet here).
The Andes strain, found in parts of Latin America, is the only known hantavirus capable of limited human-to-human transmission.
The outbreak has triggered measures under the International Health Regulations, the global framework designed to coordinate responses to cross-border health threats.
The WHO said it is working closely with authorities in Cape Verde, Spain, the Netherlands, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Argentina, along with the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
