This Thursday, the head of the World Health Organization announced on Thursday, July 2, the end of the hantavirus outbreak that had been declared on the cruise ship MV Hondius, and had sparked international concern.
“Today, the last person who had been in contact with someone exposed to hantavirus aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius has completed their quarantine period, tested negative and has returned home. No other cases have been reported since May 25. We are therefore very pleased to announce that the WHO considers the hantavirus outbreak to have ended,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press conference in Geneva, adding that there had been 13 cases associated with this outbreak, including three deaths.
The WHO will continue to work with governments and its partners to better understand this outbreak and hantavirus. “We are also coordinating a study involving 21 countries to understand how the disease evolves, which will contribute to the development of diagnostics, treatments and vaccines in preparation for future epidemic flare-ups,” explained Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
