Hantavirus Tracker

The WHO has closed the MV Hondius outbreak after 13 infections and 3 deaths, marking a controlled containment of the Andes virus strain.

However, a separate case involving a flight to Johannesburg and 80+ passengers at risk highlights the persistent challenge of hantavirus's long incubation period for contact tracing.

The tension between a declared end to one cluster and the ongoing risk from air travel underscores the need for sustained vigilance.

Tracking: hantavirus

Geography: Four Corners region (US Southwest), China, South Korea, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Scandinavia (for PUUV)

1. WHO declares hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship over after 3 deaths

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship over, nearly three months after the first case was recorded.

The outbreak, which began in April after the ship departed Argentina, resulted in 13 infections and three deaths from the rare Andes virus strain. The last identified contact completed quarantine and tested negative, with no new cases reported since 25 May.

The MV Hondius was cleared to resume sailing in mid-June.

Separately, the WHO is tracing over 80 passengers from a flight to Johannesburg after a Dutch woman died from hantavirus, underscoring the challenge of tracking cases with incubation periods of up to eight weeks.

Key facts:

- 13 infections and 3 deaths resulted from the MV Hondius outbreak.

- The WHO declared the outbreak over on 3 July 2023.

- No new cases have been reported since 25 May.

- The ship departed Argentina on 1 April and resumed sailing in mid-June.

- WHO is tracing 80+ passengers from a flight to Johannesburg linked to a separate case.

Why it matters: The cruise ship outbreak shows the difficulty of containing hantavirus in travel settings with long incubation periods, even with low human-to-human transmission.

The lack of approved antiviral treatment and the severity of the Andes virus strain place high stakes on rapid detection and sanitation.

For public health agencies, the event reinforces the need for strict rodent exclusion protocols on vessels and in endemic regions, especially under climate shifts that expand rodent habitats.

The clearance of the MV Hondius signals that standard containment measures were sufficient, but the flight-contact tracing effort highlights ongoing risks in international travel corridors.

MonacolifeIndependent