The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that an outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship in the South Atlantic is not the start of a pandemic, according to the BBC. Maria van Kerkhove. An infectious disease epidemiologist at the WHO, told a news briefing that it was not the same situation as six years ago with Covid-19, because hantavirus spreads through ‘close, intimate contact.’.

Confirmed Cases and Fatalities

On Thursday. The WHO said that overall. Five of eight suspected cases of hantavirus had been confirmed, and Three people have died, including a 69-year-old Dutch woman, who had the virus — her Dutch husband and a German woman also died, and their cases are being investigated.

Outbreak Details and Transmission

Hantavirus typically spreads from rodents – but in the latest outbreak the transmission between people was documented for the first time, the WHO said. The luxury cruise. Operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, began its journey on 1 April in Ushuaia in southern Argentina, and is due to arrive soon in Spain’s Canary Islands.

About 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries are reported to have initially been aboard the vessel, but dozens disembarked on the island of St Helena on 24 April. At Thursday’s news briefing, WHO’s Maria van Kerkhove said ‘this is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very, very differently.’

She said authorities had asked ‘everyone to wear a mask’ on board the MV Hondius. Those in contact with or caring for suspected cases, she added, should ‘wear a higher level of personal protective equipment.’

Public Health Risk and Ongoing Efforts

At the same briefing, WHO Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus said his organisation ‘assesses the public health risk as low.’ He said the first two people with the confirmed virus had ‘travelled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on a bird-watching trip which included visits to sites where the species of rat known to carry the virus was present.’

Dr Tedros said the WHO was aware of reports of other people with symptoms who may have had contact with passengers, adding that officials were in touch with the relevant authorities. Given the incubation period of this disease – which can be up to six weeks – it was possible more cases may be reported, he said.

Earlier on Thursday, Oceanwide Expedition said 29 passengers, of at least 12 different nationalities, had left the MV Hondius in St Helena, the British Overseas Territory. The Dutch government put a number of those who had disembarked the ship at 40, including a Swiss national who has now a confirmed virus case.

Seven were British nationals. ‘Two of these individuals are now self-isolating in the UK while the others have not yet returned,’ an update from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. Four remained in St Helena – and ‘tracing efforts are ongoing for the seventh individual, who we know has not yet returned to the UK,’ the statement said.

St Helena is one of the remotest islands on Earth, at 47sq miles (127 sq km)- a third of the size of the Isle of Wight – with a population of about 4,400 and one hospital. The Dutch woman who had the virus and later died in South Africa was among those who left in St Helena.

Three other people – British, Dutch and German nationals – were evacuated from the vessel on Wednesday. Oceanwide Expeditions said the first confirmed case of hantavirus was not reported until 4 May and that all guests who disembarked the ship have been contacted. The operator said it remained in ‘close and continual discussion with relevant authorities regarding our exact point of arrival, quarantine and screening procedures for all guests.’

The Dutch government said the ship stopped in St Helena on its way to Cape Verde, an archipelago nation off the West African coast. It said the Dutch woman who left the cruise on 24 April travelled to South Africa, where she died two days later. Her husband died on board the ship on 11 April, but is not a confirmed case of hantavirus.

The update said the woman had boarded a KLM flight heading from Johannesburg to the Netherlands, but became ill before its departure. Authorities in the Netherlands are sending letters to passengers who were on the flight, asking them to remain ‘available for monitoring.’

Her body remains on the ship. The third fatality – a German woman – died on board the MV Hondius on 2 May, and is not a confirmed case either. Meanwhile Singapore’s Communicable Diseases Agency said it was isolating and testing two men – a 67-year-old Singaporean and a 65-year-old permanent resident – who disembarked the ship in St Helena.

It added that they had taken the same flight from St Helena to Johannesburg in South Africa as the 69-year-old woman who died. Their hantavirus test results are still pending. Two US states – Georgia and Arizona – confirmed to the BBC that they were monitoring three passengers who returned to the US after disembarking. None were displaying symptoms. The US Department of State said it was in ‘direct contact’ with affected passengers.

Argentina’s health ministry has said officials will test rodents in the city of Ushuaia, where the ship set sail from on 1 April.