[54025] Hantavirus outbreak on board the cruise ship MV Hondius: The world on alert

Hantavirus outbreak on board the cruise ship MV Hondius

In recent days, an outbreak of the Andes strain of Hantavirus has been reported on board the cruise ship MV Hondius, causing the deaths of three passengers and a number of confirmed infection cases. According to NEXTA Live reports, this is a virus with the potential for human-to-human transmission, which distinguishes it from other Hantavirus strains typically transmitted through contact with rodents.

Measures taken and passenger evacuation

The ship is expected to dock in Tenerife in the Canary Islands, where a large-scale evacuation operation is being carried out under the management of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Spanish Ministry of Health. According to the BBC description, many European countries are sending aircraft to repatriate their citizens on direct flights, while ensuring strict isolation from the local population. WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus emphasized during his visit to the island that "this is not another COVID" and that the risk to public health remains low.

Additional cases and global concerns

Reports indicate additional cases of infection outside the ship, including a woman from Alicante, Spain, and a man from the island of Tristan da Cunha, who were likely infected following contact with passengers who disembarked from the ship (according to Reuters as reported in Душная община). The TASS news agency noted that about 10 different flights are required to complete the evacuation.

Background and speculation

On social media, questions have been raised regarding the source of the virus. The Conspiranews channel linked the event to the disappearance of hundreds of test tubes containing dangerous viruses from a laboratory in Australia in 2024. However, experts quoted in SHOT and official sources, including Rospotrebnadzor, clarify that this is a relatively isolated case and that the probability of a global pandemic is very low, as the transmission mechanism of the strain in question requires close contact and is not similar to common respiratory viruses.