The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday assured that the hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic is not the beginning of a Covid-like epidemic or pandemic and is expected to remain limited if proper public health measures are followed, news agency AFP reported.
“This is not the start of an epidemic. This is not the start of a pandemic. This is not Covid,” WHO`s Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention Director Maria Van Kerkhove told reporters.
WHO said five cases have been confirmed as hantavirus while three more are suspected, taking the total to eight cases, including three deaths. The ship involved is the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the strain involved is the Andes virus, which is found in Latin America and is the only hantavirus with documented cases of limited human-to-human transmission.
“Given the incubation period of the Andes virus, which can be up to six weeks, it`s possible that more cases may be reported,” Dr Tedros added.
The MV Hondius left Ushuaia in Argentina on April 1 for an expedition cruise. It is currently sailing from Cape Verde towards Tenerife in Spain`s Canary Islands.
Argentina sends 2,500 diagnostic kits
Dr Tedros said he has been in regular contact with the ship`s captain. “He told me morale has improved significantly since the ship started moving again. I thank him for everything he has done to protect those under his duty of care,” he said.
WHO`s emergency alert and response director Abdi Rahman Mahamud stated, “We believe this will be a limited outbreak if the public health measures are implemented and solidarity shown across all countries.”
Argentina is sending 2,500 diagnostic kits to laboratories in five countries to help with testing.
The WHO has also informed 12 countries that their nationals had disembarked from the ship at Saint Helena between April 22 and 24. These countries are Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The rare hantavirus usually spreads through contact with infected rodents via urine, droppings, or saliva. The Andes virus is the only known strain capable of limited person-to-person transmission.
(With AFP inputs)