GENEVA — The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that the number of confirmed hantavirus cases remains at 13, with no new deaths reported for more than a month.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak has resulted in 13 cases, including three deaths.
“The number of cases reported to WHO remains 13, including three deaths,” Tedros said in a post on X.
He added that no additional fatalities have been reported to the UN health agency in more than a month and that WHO remains in close contact with governments where patients are receiving treatment or where passengers and crew members remain under quarantine or health monitoring.
Hantaviruses are rodent-borne viruses that can cause serious illness in humans. Most strains are not transmitted between people and are linked to specific rodent species.
However, the strain involved in the current outbreak, known as the Andes virus, can spread through prolonged close human contact, particularly in enclosed environments.
The outbreak has been linked to passengers aboard a cruise voyage, prompting international health monitoring and containment measures after several infections were identified during and shortly after the trip.
Global attention focused on the outbreak after a 70-year-old Dutch passenger became ill on April 6 aboard the Dutch-flagged vessel MV Hondius, five days after it departed from Ushuaia in southern Argentina.
Tedros said WHO continues to closely monitor the situation and coordinate with national authorities involved in the response.
Source: Saudi Gazette