The World Health Organization said there is no need for panic and that the risk to the public remains low following a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic that left three people dead and three others ill.
Netherlands-based Oceanwide Expeditions said it is managing a “serious medical situation” aboard its polar expedition vessel, the MV Hondius, which was near Cape Verde.
The ship departed Argentina about three weeks ago with around 150 passengers, stopping in Antarctica and other locations before heading toward Cape Verde, according to reports.
WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said the situation does not warrant travel restrictions.
“The risk to the wider public remains low. There is no need for panic or travel restrictions,” Kluge said in a statement.
He added that the WHO is working with relevant countries to support medical care, evacuation efforts, investigations, and a public health risk assessment.
According to the WHO, Hantavirus infections are rare and typically linked to exposure to infected rodents, with limited human-to-human transmission.
A spokesperson from the Dutch Foreign Ministry confirmed that two Dutch passengers were among those who died but provided no additional details.
The WHO also said one of the ill passengers is in intensive care in South Africa. Laboratory tests have confirmed hantavirus infection in one of the six affected individuals.
