World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on Tuesday that the effort to contain the recent hantavirus outbreak is not yet over. Speaking at a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, he noted there is no sign of a larger outbreak, but the situation could change due to the virus's long incubation period.

All passengers aboard the virus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius have been evacuated from Spain's Canary Islands. The ship left Argentina on April 1, 2026, and ten days later a passenger died of hantavirus, followed by his wife in Johannesburg, South Africa, and a third German passenger.

So far, eleven confirmed cases of hantavirus have been reported, with patients in Spain, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, and the US. Several countries have committed to WHO guidelines for quarantine and contact tracing.

A Dutch hospital announced that 12 workers who did not follow proper guidelines would have to quarantine for six weeks. WHO stressed that hantavirus is not similar to COVID-19, with an incubation period of 4 to 42 days, causing fever, muscle aches, and abdominal issues.

Source: www.dw.com