Hantavirus outbreak reported on cruise ship MV Hondius

A hantavirus outbreak has occurred on the cruise ship MV Hondius, which departed from Argentina one month ago. Health authorities have confirmed three deaths and identified eight total cases, consisting of three confirmed and five suspected infections. Four passengers required medical evacuation from the vessel for hospital treatment. Contact tracing is currently underway for passengers who returned to various countries, including the United Kingdom, South Africa, the Netherlands, the United States, and Switzerland. The WHO, represented by Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, stated that the Andes strain involved is not highly contagious between humans and does not pose a pandemic risk. The virus typically spreads via contact with rodent excreta, though experts are investigating the possibility of human-to-human transmission in enclosed ship environments. One recorded fatality was a Dutch passenger who disembarked in Saint Helena on April 24. The exact source of the initial infection remains under investigation.