90-Second Read: 'Work not over,' says WHO after Hantavirus evacuation

The push to contain the recent Hantavirus outbreak "is not over" yet, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday. Ten days later, a passenger died of Hantavirus while on the ship and his wife died several days later in a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa. So far there have been eleven confirmed cases of Hantavirus. However, it has stressed that the current outbreak is vastly different to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tedros' comments came soon after it was announced that everyone aboard the virus-struck cruise ship MV Hondius had been evacuated from Spain's Canary Islands.

On April 1, 2026, the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius left Argentina. The WHO has stressed that the Hantavirus is not similar to COVID-19. Hantavirus has an incubation period of between 4 and 42 days. A third passenger, a German woman, perished and it was decided that the Hondius would dock at Tenerife while passengers were tested for the virus and those who were sick could be evacuated. The patients are in Spain, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, and the US.

Extensive testing, contact tracing, and quarantine procedures are still needed to contain the outbreak, WHO says. On Sunday and Monday, the remaining 120 passengers still aboard the Hondius were evacuated. A Dutch hospital announced that 12 workers who did not follow proper guidelines would have to quarantine for 6 weeks. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video It is also possible to have an asymptomatic case, however.

Several countries have confirmed their commitment to WHO guidelines for quarantine protocols and contact tracing. It can cause fever, muscle aches, and abdominal problems.