WHO labels all on hantavirus-hit cruise ship as high-risk contacts
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Inputs from INASGeneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified everyone aboard a cruise ship struck by a hantavirus outbreak as "high-risk" contacts, requiring active monitoring for 42 days.
WHO's director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness, Maria Van Kerkhove, told reporters: "We classify everybody on board as what we call a high-risk contact." She added that no one currently shows symptoms, but urged follow-up for all passengers and crew disembarking over the next 42 days.
The public risk, including in Spain's Canary Islands where the MV Hondius is due to dock on Sunday, remains low, Van Kerkhove stressed.
Severe respiratory illness first emerged on 2 May among 147 passengers and crew; 34 others had already left. By 8 May, eight cases were reported—including three deaths—with six lab-confirmed as Andes virus (ANDV) hantavirus infections. WHO has alerted contact points in affected countries to aid tracing.
The agency called for sustained public health measures: coordination, contact tracing, case management, infection prevention, and transparent communication.
Early hantavirus symptoms include headache, dizziness, chills, fever, muscle pain, and gastrointestinal issues like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain. As pre-symptomatic ANDV transmission cannot be ruled out, WHO advises low-risk contacts to self-monitor, seek medical evaluation if symptomatic, and wear masks.
(Inputs from IANS)