The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Thursday (2) the end of the hantavirus outbreak that occurred on the cruise ship MV Hondius, which caused three deaths and sparked widespread international concern.
“Today, the last person who had contact with someone exposed to the hantavirus aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius completed the quarantine period, tested negative, and returned home. No further cases have been reported since May 25. Therefore, we are pleased to announce that the WHO considers the hantavirus outbreak to be over,” said Tedros Ghebreyesus at a press conference in Geneva.
According to the World Health Organization, a total of 13 cases of hantavirus linked to the cruise were reported.
The Hondius set sail on April 1 from Ushuaia, in southern Argentina, to cross the South Atlantic with 147 passengers and crew members of various nationalities on board. During the voyage, three people died and four others developed symptoms of infection.
Following the outbreak, 650 contacts of the affected passengers were identified and monitored across 33 countries.
The origin of this hantavirus outbreak remains unknown, but according to the WHO, the initial infection likely occurred before the expedition began on April 1, as the first passenger to die—a 70-year-old Dutch man—had already shown symptoms by April 6.
