WHO: Hantavirus Cases on Atlantic Cruise Ship Rise from 3 to 5

Confirmed Cluster Infection Cases Increase
WHO: "This Is Not the Start of a Pandemic"
Calls on US and Argentina to Halt Withdrawal

Concerns are growing worldwide as the number of confirmed hantavirus cluster infection cases on a cruise ship sailing the Atlantic has risen to five. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) assessed the public health risk as low, stating, "This is not the beginning of a pandemic."

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), is holding a press conference on the 7th (local time) regarding the hantavirus outbreak that occurred on an Atlantic cruise ship. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, said at a press conference on the 7th (local time) that "so far, eight cases have been reported, including three deaths, and five of these are confirmed cases." As of the previous day, there were three confirmed cases, but two suspected cases have now been confirmed.

According to the WHO, the virus in question is the Andes strain of hantavirus, which has been found in Central and South America. The Andes variant is known as the only type of hantavirus that can be transmitted from person to person. The WHO explained that the incubation period can be as long as six weeks, so there is a possibility of additional infection cases emerging.

Director-General Ghebreyesus stated that the first fatalities—a Dutch couple—had visited regions inhabited by rodents carrying the Andes strain, including Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, before boarding the ship. The WHO is currently tracing their movements with the Argentine government, and the Argentine authorities plan to provide 2,500 diagnostic kits to research centers in five countries.

According to the cruise operator, the ship docked at the British territory of Saint Helena last month, and 29 passengers disembarked. There is growing concern about international spread, as dozens of passengers have already returned to their home countries and others have been in contact with airline passengers. Health authorities in each country are on high alert.

Rescue workers were waiting in front of an ambulance wearing protective suits on the 6th (local time). Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

The WHO, however, repeatedly emphasized that the current situation is not the early stage of a pandemic like COVID-19. Abdi Rahman Mahamud, Director of the WHO's Alert and Response Coordination Department, said, "If public health measures are properly implemented and countries cooperate, it will be contained as a limited outbreak." Maria Van Kerkhove, Director of WHO's Epidemic Management Department, also stressed, "This is not the start of a pandemic, nor is it COVID-19," and "Most hantaviruses are not transmissible between people."

Meanwhile, Director-General Ghebreyesus called on the governments of the United States and Argentina to reconsider their decisions to withdraw from the WHO. He emphasized the need for international cooperation for health security, stating, "Viruses do not care about politics or borders."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.