90-Second Read: WHO confirms 10 global Hantavirus cases, Hondius crew remain symptom-free

World Health Organization has reiterated that the risk of Hantavirus spreading is 'low'. There are currently 10 global cases of Hantavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said, lowering its earlier figure of 11 after a person who was thought to have contracted Hantavirus was confirmed to be negative. The captain and the ship's 26-member crew remain on board and continue to be monitored, with Tedros confirming that there are currently no symptomatic individuals on board.

Three people have died since the outbreak began on the MV Hondius, a Dutch luxury cruise ship that departed Argentina on a polar expedition. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated that the "risk" to the global population is "low". Kerkhove said the remains of a passenger who died remain on board, and that WHO is working with the ship to ensure the proper handling of her body.

Patients typically experience fever, headache, muscle aches and gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea and abdominal pain, emerging between one and eight weeks after exposure. In severe cases, the illness can rapidly progress to coughing, shortness of breath and fluid accumulation in the lungs. However, the strain responsible for this outbreak, the Andes virus, can also spread between humans with prolonged close contact, often in enclosed settings.