The head of the World Health Organization has warned countries to prepare for more hantavirus cases after the outbreak onboard the MV Hondius, and thanked Spain for the “compassion and solidarity” it had shown by taking in the stricken cruise ship and evacuating its passengers and crew.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to follow the WHO’s advice and recommendations, which include a 42-day quarantine and constant monitoring of high-risk contacts.

“At the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak, but of course the situation could change and, given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks,” he told a press conference in Madrid on Tuesday.

  • Mobiuthuselah@mander.xyz
    210·
    1 day ago

    Most sources say no. From what I understand, there is a variant in South America that is believed to have been previously passed human to human, but that may be influencing media reports to say it can be rather than differentiating that in most of the world that hasn’t happened.

    Edit: I see now that the article talks about the cruise ship having gone to South America. This still wouldn’t necessarily mean that the virus is as transferrable as COVID was, but with the long incubation time, I understand the abundance of caution.