The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that all passengers and crew aboard a cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak should be treated as \u201chigh-risk contacts\u201d and placed under active monitoring for 42 days.<\/p>\n
According to media reports, the guidance was issued by WHO Director for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention Maria Van Kerkhove during a media briefing on Saturday.<\/p>\n
She said that while no one currently on board the vessel is showing symptoms, all passengers and crew must be monitored closely after disembarkation. \u201cWe classify everybody on board as high-risk contact,\u201d she stated, adding that follow-up should continue for 42 days.<\/p>\n
WHO noted that the overall public health risk remains \u201clow,\u201d including for the Canary Islands, where the ship MV Hondius is expected to dock.<\/p>\n
The outbreak was first reported on May 2, when severe respiratory illness cases emerged on the vessel carrying 147 passengers and crew, while 34 individuals had already disembarked.<\/p>\n
As of May 8, eight symptomatic cases have been recorded, including three deaths. Six of these cases have been confirmed as infections caused by the Andes virus, a strain of hantavirus.<\/p>\n
The WHO said all relevant national authorities have been informed and are assisting with international contact tracing, case management, and infection control measures.<\/p>\n
Health experts have urged continued coordination between countries, alongside transparent reporting and strict monitoring protocols.<\/p>\n
Early symptoms of hantavirus infection include fever, headache, dizziness, muscle pain, and gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. WHO also warned that in previous outbreaks, pre-symptomatic transmission could not be fully ruled out, recommending self-monitoring and medical evaluation for exposed individuals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that all passengers and crew aboard a cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak should be treated as \u201chigh-risk contacts\u201d and placed under active monitoring for 42 days. According to media reports, the guidance was issued by WHO Director for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention Maria Van […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":74380,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,17],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[213],"class_list":{"0":"post-74379","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest","8":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n