Hantavirus Cruise Ship Outbreak Will Not Cause a Covid-Style Pandemic, Says World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) has sought to calm fears over a hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, saying that the situation is very unlikely to develop into a Covid-style pandemic. During a press briefing, WHO officials emphasized that hantaviruses spread very differently from highly contagious respiratory viruses such as COVID-19 or influenza.

However, despite these reassurances, the WHO’s statements are likely to be viewed highly sceptically by many people due to ongoing criticism of the organization’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Critics have accused the agency of reacting too slowly in the early stages of the pandemic and of being overly deferential to governments, particularly China.

Investigators have identified the virus involved in the cruise ship outbreak as the Andes virus, a rare type of hantavirus capable of limited person-to-person transmission. Hantaviruses are usually spread through contact with infected rodents or their waste products, but the Andes strain can occasionally pass between humans through close physical contact. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that more cases could still emerge because the incubation period can last up to six weeks.

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