WHO Chief Warns of More Hantavirus Cases, Rules Out Pandemic Risk

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that additional cases of the deadly Andes strain of hantavirus are likely to emerge in the coming weeks due to the virus's long incubation period. This statement follows an outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, which departed Argentina with passengers from 23 countries. The virus has currently killed three people and infected eight others, with recent confirmations in Spain. Despite the rising case count, Tedros emphasized that the current public health risk remains low and asserted that this outbreak will not become another global pandemic like Covid-19. The Andes strain, unique for its human-to-human transmission capability, causes severe cardiopulmonary syndrome with a fatality rate of approximately 38%. Passengers have been evacuated to their home countries, including the UK, France, and the US, where authorities are enforcing quarantine measures. However, concerns were raised regarding the US decision to allow some negative-tested passengers to return home immediately, which the WHO chief suggested may carry risks. Spanish authorities have been praised for allowing the ship to dock in the Canary Islands, facilitating the safe evacuation and isolation of potentially infected individuals.