Global health authorities are scrambling to contain a deadly outbreak of Andes hantavirus linked to the polar expedition ship Hondius, tracing some 30 departed passengers from at least a dozen countries — as well as two flights linked to an ill woman — as epidemiologists investigate how the rare strain made its way onto the ship.
World Health Organization Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a briefing Thursday that five of the eight reported cases of hantavirus have so far been confirmed, but officials emphasized that the public health risk remains low. Three passengers have died.
The Andean strain is the only type of hantavirus known to spread through prolonged close contact between household members or intimate partners, he said, adding that this “appears to be the case in the current situation.” Still, the number of cases could rise given the incubation period of the virus, he said, which can last up to six weeks.
U.S. officials in at least five states — Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas and Virginia — are monitoring symptoms of seven returning passengers, according to state health officials. None of the travelers have reported symptoms, officials said. Two passengers are in Texas and two are in Georgia, health officials said.
