GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / EuroWire / – The World Health Organization said the hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship could end on July 2, 2026, if no new cases emerge. The agency will consider the outbreak over when the last monitored contacts finish quarantine without further infections. The tally remains 13 cases, including three deaths. Local health authorities have followed more than 650 contacts in 33 countries and territories. WHO gave the update in Geneva on June 24.
The cluster involves Andes virus, a hantavirus strain associated with severe respiratory illness. Health officials linked the cases to passengers and crew of the Netherlands-flagged MV Hondius. The ship left Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1. On May 2, the United Kingdom notified WHO about severe respiratory illness aboard the vessel. The ship operator said 147 passengers and crew were on board at that stage. It also said 34 passengers and crew had already disembarked.
WHO said all but 54 contacts have completed quarantine. The remaining contacts have a scheduled completion date of July 2. The agency recommends 42 days of quarantine for high-risk contacts after their last exposure. Its guidance tells low-risk contacts to monitor for symptoms and seek medical care if illness develops. The contact list includes passengers, crew and people who shared flights with confirmed cases. The final quarantine milestone now sets the main date for closing the outbreak file.
Contact tracing nears final stage
Hantaviruses usually spread to people through contact with infected rodents. Exposure can involve urine, droppings, saliva or contaminated surfaces. Andes virus differs because health authorities have documented limited person-to-person transmission. That spread usually involves close and prolonged contact. WHO says the virus does not show patterns linked to highly transmissible airborne diseases. The agency has assessed the global public health risk from this event as low. It says current evidence points to human-to-human transmission on the ship.
The response has included case isolation, clinical care, medical evacuations, laboratory testing and contact tracing. WHO has used International Health Regulations channels to coordinate with national focal points. Governments have managed cases and contacts in their own countries and, in some cases, through third countries. The agency said it continues to work with governments and partners to examine how the outbreak began. It is also reviewing how the virus spread among people on the ship.
Investigations continue after quarantine
WHO said partners have collected environmental samples from the MV Hondius for analysis. The agency is coordinating a 21-country study among people exposed to the virus. The study aims to clarify how Andes virus disease develops after exposure. WHO is also seeking to share a virus sample with the WHO BioHub in Switzerland. The agency says that work can support diagnostics, treatments and vaccines for future outbreaks. It has not identified the source of exposure in its latest public update.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ended its response. U.S. citizens potentially exposed on the MV Hondius completed a 42-day monitoring period by June 21. U.S. health authorities reported no U.S. cases from the outbreak. They also reported no sustained transmission in the United States. WHO thanked Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Captain Jan Dobrogowski, the crew and passengers for their cooperation. The agency said outbreak investigations will continue after the remaining quarantines end.