7 May 2026
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening.
Thank you for joining us for this briefing on the hantavirus situation.
Let me begin by outlining what has happened, what we know, what we don’t know, and what WHO has done.
Last Saturday, the United Kingdom notified WHO under the International Health Regulations of a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness on a Dutch-flagged cruise ship, the MV Hondius, which had travelled from Argentina to Cabo Verde.
So far, eight cases have been reported, including three deaths.
Five of the eight cases have been confirmed as hantavirus, and the other three are suspected.
Hantaviruses are a group of viruses carried by rodents that can cause severe disease in humans.
People are usually infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva.
The species of hantavirus involved in this case is the Andes virus – which is found in Latin America and is the only species known to be capable of limited transmission between humans.
In previous outbreaks of Andes virus, transmission between people has been associated with close and prolonged contact, particularly among household members, intimate partners and people providing medical care.
That appears to be the case in the current situation.
The first case was in a man who developed symptoms on the 6th of April and died on the ship on the 11th of April.
No samples were taken, and because his symptoms were similar to those of other respiratory diseases, hantavirus was not suspected.
The man’s wife went ashore when the ship docked at the island of Saint Helena, and was also symptomatic. She deteriorated during a flight to Johannesburg on the 25th of April and died the next day.
Samples were taken, which were tested at South Africa’s National Institute of Communicable Diseases and confirmed as hantavirus.
The third death was of a woman on the ship who developed symptoms on the 28th of April and died on the 2nd of May.
Another man presented to the ship’s doctor on the 24th of April. He was evacuated on the 27th of April from the island of Ascension to South Africa, where he remains in intensive care.
Doctors from Cabo Verde boarded the ship to provide care for three other passengers with symptoms. WHO coordinated their evacuation to the Netherlands for treatment.
I would like to thank Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva of Cabo Verde for his support in facilitating the evacuation of these three patients, based on our request.
Two are in a stable condition in hospital, and one is asymptomatic and is now in Germany.
The eighth case was in a man who disembarked in Saint Helena.
Following advice from the ship’s operator, he reported himself with symptoms in Zürich, Switzerland, and was confirmed yesterday to be infected with hantavirus.
The Geneva University Hospitals then sequenced the virus and confirmed it as Andes.
None of the remaining passengers or crew on the ship are currently symptomatic.
WHO is aware of reports of other people with symptoms who may have had contact with one of the passengers. In each case, we are in close contact with the relevant authorities.
Given the incubation period for Andes virus, which can be up to six weeks, it’s possible that more cases may be reported.
While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low.
It also shows why the International Health Regulations exist, and how they work.
WHO is working with multiple governments and partners on the response, under those Regulations.
Our priorities are to ensure the affected patients receive care, that the remaining passengers on the ship are kept safe and treated with dignity, and to prevent any further spread of the virus.
On Monday, I asked Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain to accept the ship, which he agreed to do – and I thank Prime Minister Sanchez for his generosity, solidarity and for meeting his moral duty.
The ship is now sailing for the Canary Islands. We are confident in the capacity of Spain to manage this risk, and we are supporting them to do so.
Once again, we assess the risk to the people of the Canary Islands as low.
WHO has provided guidance to the ship’s operator on the management of health on board the vessel.
All passengers have been asked to stay in their cabins, the cabins are being disinfected, and anyone who shows symptoms will be isolated immediately.
A WHO expert boarded the ship in Cabo Verde, and has been joined by two doctors from the Netherlands and an expert from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, who will stay on the ship until it reaches the Canary Islands.
They are conducting a medical assessment of everyone on board and gathering information to assess their risk of infection.
WHO is developing step-by-step operational guidance for the safe and respectful disembarkation and onward travel of passengers and crew when they arrive.
WHO has also informed 12 countries whose nationals disembarked in Saint Helena.
Those 12 countries are:
1) Canada,
2) Denmark,
3) Germany,
4) the Netherlands,
5) New Zealand,
6) Saint Kitts and Nevis,
7) Singapore,
8) Sweden,
9) Switzerland,
10) Türkiye,
11) the United Kingdom and the
12) United States of America.
In addition, WHO is supporting health authorities in South Africa to follow-up people who were on the flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg with the woman who later died.
Meanwhile, investigations into the cause of the outbreak are continuing.
Prior to boarding the ship, the first two cases had travelled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on a bird-watching trip, which included visits to sites where the species of rat that is known to carry Andes virus was present.
WHO is working with health authorities in Argentina to understand the movements of the couple, and I thank the Government of Argentina for its cooperation, given its experience and expertise with Andes virus.
We have also arranged for shipments of 2500 diagnostic kits from Argentina to laboratories in five countries.
I would also like to thank the Governments of Cabo Verde, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom for their close partnership and support.
I also thank the many partners who have provided expertise, including the NICD in South Africa, the Institut Pasteur Dakar in Senegal, and the HUG here in Switzerland.
And I would also like to thank the ship’s operator for its cooperation, and the passengers and crew who are going through a very difficult and frightening situation.
I have been in touch with the ship’s captain regularly, including this morning. He told me morale has improved significantly since the ship started moving again. I thank him for everything he has done to protect those under his duty of care.
WHO will continue to work with all relevant governments and partners to provide care for those who are affected, protect the safety and dignity of passengers, and prevent onward spread of the virus.
Christian, back to you.
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