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At slightest 2 Indian nationals are portion of the unit of the Dutch vas MV Hondius which reported a hantavirus outbreak with 5 confirmed cases and 3 deaths truthful far, according to the BBC.
The luxury cruise ship, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, began its travel connected April 1 from Argentina’s Ushuaia and is expected to get successful Spain’s Canary Islands connected May 10.
About 150 passengers and unit from 28 countries were initially aboard the luxury cruise, but dozens disembarked connected the land of St. Helena connected April 24, according to the report.
Of the 28 nationalities onboard, 38 are from the Philippines, 31 from the U.K., 23 from the U.S., 16 from the Netherlands, 14 from Spain, 9 from Germany, six from Canada, and 2 unit members from India, among others, the BBC reported.
The World Health Organization said connected Thursday (May 7, 2026) that 5 of the 8 suspected hantavirus cases had been confirmed.
A 69-year-old Dutch woman, confirmed to person the virus, has died; her Dutch hubby and a German pistillate were besides among the fatalities. Their cases are being investigated.
The UN wellness bureau has said the outbreak is not the commencement of a pandemic.
Maria van Kerkhove, an infectious illness epidemiologist astatine WHO, told a quality briefing that the concern is not the aforesaid arsenic six years agone with Covid-19 due to the fact that hantavirus spreads done “close, intimate contact”.
Van Kerkhove said “this is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very, precise differently”. She said authorities had asked “everyone to deterioration a mask” connected committee the MV Hondius.
Those successful interaction with oregon caring for suspected cases, she added, should “wear a higher level of idiosyncratic protective equipment”.
Hantavirus typically spreads from rodents - but successful the latest outbreak the transmission betwixt radical was documented for the archetypal time, the WHO said.
Meanwhile, wellness authorities are racing to hint dozens of radical who person precocious disembarked from the Dutch vas MV Hondius.
Oceanwide Expedition said 29 passengers, of astatine slightest 12 antithetic nationalities, had near the MV Hondius successful St Helena, the British Overseas Territory.
It besides said the assemblage of 1 deceased person—now known to beryllium a Dutch man—was taken disconnected the vessel.
Seven of those who near the cruise liner were British nationals.
