WHO set July 2 to declare cruise ship hantavirus outbreak over
What's next: WHO plans more studies on the Andes virus strain as it explores future tests, treatments and vaccines.
The World Health Organization expects to formally declare the hantavirus outbreak tied to the cruise ship MV Hondius over on July 2 if no new cases emerge. The outbreak produced 12 confirmed cases and one probable case, including three deaths, after the Dutch-flagged ship sailed from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said health authorities tracked more than 650 contacts across 33 countries and territories, with 54 people still completing quarantine. The agency will keep studying the Andes strain, the only hantavirus known to spread between people, using virus and environmental samples to support work on diagnostics, treatments and vaccines.