Daijiworld Media Network – Geneva
Geneva, Jul 3: The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the cruise ship-linked hantavirus outbreak over after the last identified contact completed quarantine and tested negative for the virus.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the development while providing an update on global public health challenges on July 2.
The outbreak, linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, infected 13 people and claimed three lives. The vessel had departed from Argentina on April 1, with the first alert issued by the United Kingdom on May 2 after passengers developed severe respiratory illness during the voyage from Argentina to Cabo Verde.
The outbreak involved the Andes virus, a rare strain of hantavirus found mainly in Argentina and Chile. It is the only known hantavirus capable of limited human-to-human transmission, usually through prolonged close contact with an infected person during the early stage of illness.
Hantaviruses are primarily spread through contact with infected rodents or their urine, saliva and droppings. Infection can also occur through rodent bites, though this is less common. Activities such as cleaning enclosed spaces, farming, forestry work and staying in rodent-infested areas increase the risk of exposure.
The viruses belong to the Hantaviridae family, with each strain generally associated with a specific rodent species that carries the virus without becoming ill.
Globally, an estimated 10,000 to more than 100,000 hantavirus infections occur annually, with the highest burden reported in Asia and Europe. However, only a limited number of hantavirus species are known to cause disease in humans.
In the Americas, hantaviruses can cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), a severe respiratory illness with a fatality rate of about 38 per cent among patients who develop respiratory symptoms. In Europe and Asia, hantaviruses are more commonly associated with Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS), a potentially life-threatening disease affecting the kidneys.
There is currently no specific treatment for hantavirus infection, and patients are managed with supportive care, including hydration, rest and treatment of symptoms.