WHO declares hantavirus outbreak linked to cruise ship over

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared the hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius over after the final identified contact completed quarantine without testing positive for the virus.

The announcement marks the end of weeks of public health monitoring following the detection of cases associated with the expedition vessel, which prompted contact tracing and quarantine measures to prevent further transmission.

The declaration was made by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a social media post on Thursday, July 2, following a media briefing.

"Today, the final contact of a person exposed to #hantavirus on the cruise ship MV Hondius completed their quarantine period, tested negative and returned home. No further cases have been reported since the 25th of May. Therefore, @WHO considers the hantavirus outbreak over," he wrote.

The outbreak was first identified after a passenger aboard the MV Hondius, an expedition cruise ship operating in the Arctic region, was diagnosed with hantavirus infection.

Health authorities launched an extensive public health response, including identifying and monitoring passengers and crew who may have been exposed to the virus.

According to WHO, no additional infections were detected after May 25, and all identified contacts completed the required monitoring period without developing the disease, allowing the organisation to formally declare the outbreak over.

Hantavirus is a group of viruses primarily carried by rodents and is usually transmitted to humans through contact with infected rodent urine, droppings or saliva, or by inhaling contaminated particles.

Human-to-human transmission, according to WHO, is extremely rare and has only been documented with certain strains of the virus.

The disease can cause severe illness, including hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) or haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), depending on the strain involved.

Symptoms typically begin with fever, muscle aches, fatigue and headache before progressing to more serious respiratory or kidney complications in severe cases.