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View all search resultsWHO keeps evaluation of hantavirus as 'low risk'
"The public health risk has been reassessed with the most current information available, and the global risk remains low," said a WHO statement.
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A Spain's Guardia Civil boat sails next to Dutch flagged hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius in the port of Granadilla de Abona on the island of Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands on May 11, 2026. A complex repatriation operation from the Canary Islands on May 10 flew out 94 passengers and crew of 19 different nationalities from the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, which had been at the center of an international alert after three passengers died. (AFP/Jorge Guerrero)
T
he World Health Organization said Sunday it was maintaining its assessment of the hantavirus outbreak as "low risk" as the cruise ship where the outbreak originated approached the Netherlands.
"The public health risk has been reassessed with the most current information available, and the global risk remains low," said a WHO statement.
"While additional cases may still occur among passengers and crew members exposed before containment measures were implemented, the risk of onward transmission is expected to be reduced following disembarkation and the implementation of control measures," it added.
The MV Hondius is expected to dock in the Dutch port of Rotterdam between 10:00 am (0800 GMT) and midday on Monday, according to officials, before disembarking the 27 remaining people on board: 25 crew and two medical staff.
The ship, operated by Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, made headlines after three passengers died from hantavirus -- a rare virus for which no vaccines nor specific treatments exist.
Meanwhile, the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius was due to dock in Rotterdam on Monday morning for disinfection, with Dutch authorities preparing quarantine arrangements for the 25 crew members and two medical staff remaining on board.
Local authorities said quarantine facilities had been set up for some of the non-Dutch crew, though it was not clear yet if they would stay there for the full recommended 42-day quarantine period.
The Dutch-flagged luxury cruise ship had been carrying around 150 passengers and crew from 23 countries when a cluster of severe respiratory illnesses among passengers was first reported to the World Health Organization on May 2.
Three people - a Dutch couple and a German national - have died since the start of the outbreak.
