The World Health Organization says there is no evidence of a larger hantavirus outbreak after the evacuation of the MV Hondius cruise ship. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated Monday the global health risk remains low. No deaths have been reported since May 2, and all cases are isolated under medical supervision.
The WHO has confirmed 11 hantavirus cases, including 3 fatalities. An additional Spanish passenger tested positive in Madrid but is stable. The United States repatriated 18 passengers, with 15 in quarantine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and 2 in Atlanta. The CDC says the risk to the U.S. public is extremely low.
Four Canadian passengers are isolating in British Columbia with no symptoms. In the Netherlands, 12 hospital employees at Radboud University Medical Center are in preventive quarantine after improper handling of a patient's bodily fluids. The ship, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, is now heading to Rotterdam for sanitation.