By: Puli
May 8, LNW (Colombo): The United Nations health agency has said that the recent spread of hantavirus aboard a cruise ship does not signal the beginning of a new pandemic.
Speaking at a press briefing, WHO infectious disease epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove said the situation is not comparable to the early stages of Covid-19 six years ago, explaining that hantavirus spreads mainly through “close, intimate contact.”
Health authorities are currently trying to trace dozens of passengers who recently disembarked from the Dutch cruise vessel MV Hondius.
Last Thursday, the World Health Organization confirmed that five out of eight suspected hantavirus cases linked to the ship had tested positive. Three people have died so far, including a 69-year-old Dutch woman who was infected with the virus.
Hantavirus is typically spread through contact with rodents. However, the WHO said recent evidence suggests that human-to-human transmission has now been documented for the first time during this outbreak.
Officials emphasized that the virus currently poses a limited public health risk and is not spreading in the same way as Covid-19.
