The World Health Organization (WHO) will declare the end of the hantavirus outbreak detected on a cruise ship on July 2, provided that no new infections are reported among the 54 people who are still in quarantine.
The information was put forward today in a press conference by the director-general of the WHO, who added that the number of cases remained stable at 13 for several weeks, with three deaths being confirmed.
According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, following the outbreak recorded on the cruise ship Hondius, 650 contacts of the affected passengers were identified and monitored across 33 countries.
“I thank all the countries that contributed in various ways to the response to this outbreak, especially for the leadership and solidarity demonstrated by Spain and its prime minister, Pedro Sánchez,” the WHO official stressed.
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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus further noted that the WHO will continue to investigate the origin of the outbreak, as well as the hantavirus, arguing that this work is important for the development of diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines.
The Hondius set sail on April 1 from Ushuaia, in southern Argentina, to cross the South Atlantic with passengers of different nationalities, and during the voyage, three people died and four others presented symptoms of infection.
The ship headed for the Canaries, where the passengers and part of the crew disembarked and were repatriated to their countries, in an operation coordinated by the WHO and Spanish authorities.
