The World Health Organization has said additional cases of hantavirus linked to a cruise ship outbreak could still emerge but stressed that the situation is expected to remain limited if health precautions are properly followed.
The outbreak is connected to the cruise vessel MV Hondius, where three passengers have d after contracting the rare Andes strain of hantavirus, a form capable of human to human transmission.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that five official cases and three suspected infections had been identified so far, including the three fatalities.
Speaking in Geneva, Tedros warned that more cases could appear because the Andes virus has an incubation period of up to six weeks. Shortly after his remarks, a hospital in the Netherlands confirmed another positive case connected to the outbreak.
Despite growing international concern, WHO officials insisted the outbreak does not represent the beginning of a global health crisis similar to COVID-19.
WHO emergency response director Abdi Rahman Mahamud said the outbreak could be controlled through coordinated public health measures and international cooperation.
The virus is a rare respiratory disease usually spread through infected rodents and can lead to severe breathing complications, cardiac distress, and haemorrhagic fever. There is currently no vaccine or specific cure for hantavirus, with treatment focused mainly on managing symptoms.
Health officials believe one passenger contracted the virus before boarding the ship in Argentina and later infected others during the voyage across the Atlantic.
Passengers linked to the outbreak are currently isolating or receiving treatment in several countries, including United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, and South Africa.
Authorities in Argentina are also investigating possible rodent sources in the southern city of Ushuaia, where the cruise began its journey.
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