updated
Public risk of hantavirus is low, World Health Organization says
Posted May 7, 2026 5:42 am.
Last Updated May 7, 2026 8:22 am.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said the public risk of hantavirus is low, as concerns continue to mount over a rare, but deadly rodent‑borne virus linked to a fatal outbreak aboard a cruise ship near the Cape Verde Islands.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director‑General of the WHO, delivered a briefing on hantavirus Thursday morning, marking the first time the agency has held a dedicated update since the outbreak was confirmed earlier this week.
He said there are eight suspected cases so far, including five confirmed infections. Three people have died, and one person is critically ill.
The briefing comes as international health agencies work to trace infections, investigate transmission, and reassure travellers following a cluster that left three people dead, several others hospitalized, and passengers from more than 20 countries stranded offshore.
The MV Hondius, a Dutch‑flagged expedition vessel, was quarantined near the remote island of St. Helena after passengers began falling ill with fever, gastrointestinal symptoms and rapidly worsening respiratory distress.
WHO officials have said the first infected passenger may have contracted the virus before boarding, but investigations are ongoing. That case was first reported on April 6.
The ship carried 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries, including four Canadians, though Global Affairs Canada says no Canadians were directly affected.
The cruise ship is now sailing to Spain’s Canary Islands, where it is expected to dock in the coming days.
The ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, wrote in a press release Thursday that 30 passengers disembarked the vessel at Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean on April 24, before the outbreak was reported. Among those passengers were two Canadians.
Hantavirus is not new, but it is rare and can be deadly. Infection can lead to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a fast‑progressing respiratory illness that can cause fluid buildup in the lungs, respiratory failure and shock.
There is no specific antiviral treatment, and severe cases often require intensive supportive care.
Transmission typically occurs when people inhale particles from rodent droppings or urine — often in cabins, sheds, barns, forests or other enclosed spaces where rodents nest. Human‑to‑human spread is extremely rare and has only been documented in limited circumstances involving specific strains.
In early 2025, Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died after contracting the virus at their New Mexico home. Her death remains one of the most widely known hantavirus cases linked to a public figure.
