The World Health Organization sought to reassure the public during its latest briefing on the hantavirus outbreak linked to the expedition vessel MV Hondius, stressing that the incident bore no comparison to the COVID pandemic and did not represent the beginning of a wider global health emergency. Officials described the situation as a contained outbreak involving a rare and already documented virus strain, with five confirmed cases among eight suspected infections linked to the ship.
According to WHO representatives, the Andes strain involved in the outbreak is known to epidemiologists and differs significantly from the coronavirus that triggered the global pandemic in 2020. The organization reiterated that the risk to the wider public remained low, noting that transmission requires close and prolonged contact and that widespread community spread was not expected.
Despite the effort to calm public concern, several operational questions remain unresolved as health authorities continue tracing passengers and contacts across multiple countries. A number of passengers had already disembarked from the vessel at Saint Helena before the outbreak was fully identified, returning home through international flights and onward travel connections. One Swiss passenger who left the ship earlier has since tested positive for hantavirus after returning home and is now receiving treatment in hospital.
Health authorities are now engaged in an international contact-tracing operation involving travelers from more than a dozen countries. WHO officials indicated that updated guidance on retrospective tracing and testing procedures would be issued shortly, although detailed explanations regarding the monitoring of airline passengers and other contacts were not immediately provided during the briefing.
The outbreak aboard MV Hondius has resulted in three confirmed deaths, while several additional passengers remain under observation. Investigations continue into the origin of the infections, with current assessments suggesting the initial exposure may have occurred during activities ashore in southern Argentina before the vessel departed. WHO officials acknowledged that additional cases could still emerge due to the virus’s incubation period, which may extend for several weeks.
The vessel remains under close monitoring as international health authorities coordinate medical evacuations, laboratory testing and passenger tracking while preparations continue for its onward passage toward the Canary Islands.