Adedokun Waliyu 
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared the deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius over after the last person under quarantine completed the required isolation period and tested negative for the virus.
The outbreak resulted in 12 confirmed cases and one probable case, with three people losing their lives. Although the emergency has now ended, scientists and public health experts say extensive research will continue to better understand the outbreak and improve preparedness for future incidents.
Speaking at a press conference, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that the final individual exposed to the virus aboard the MV Hondius had successfully completed quarantine, tested negative and returned home.
He added that no new cases had been reported since May 25, allowing the WHO to officially declare the outbreak over.
The Dutch-flagged cruise ship departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 and travelled through remote islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, including Tristan da Cunha, before heading to Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands, where the remaining passengers were evacuated.
The vessel later docked in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on May 18 and was cleared to resume operations on May 30 after undergoing thorough cleaning and disinfection.
Tedros revealed that more than 650 people identified as close contacts were monitored by health authorities across 33 countries and territories during the outbreak.
He said the WHO would continue working with international partners to study both the outbreak and the virus itself.
According to him, the organisation is coordinating a research project involving 21 countries to better understand how the disease develops. The findings are expected to support the development of improved diagnostic tools, treatments and vaccines for future outbreaks.
Hantavirus is a rare disease transmitted primarily by rodents, and there are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments for the infection.
The strain responsible for the MV Hondius outbreak was the Andes virus, the only known type of hantavirus capable of spreading from one person to another.
Health officials initially believed that one of the passengers contracted the virus while travelling through parts of Argentina where the disease is known to occur naturally.
However, Argentina’s Ministry of Health later announced that investigations carried out in another province failed to find any rodents carrying the virus, leaving questions about the exact source of the outbreak.
WHO’s High Impact Epidemics lead, Diana Rojas Alvarez, said the outbreak could now be declared over because it no longer posed a public health risk.
She, however, cautioned that the Andes virus and other hantavirus strains remain a continuing health threat in parts of South America and other endemic regions.
She stressed the need for continued surveillance, scientific research, community engagement and preparedness efforts to prevent future outbreaks.
The WHO also expressed hope that the lessons learned from the incident would encourage member states to finalise the remaining provisions of the Pandemic Agreement later this month so that it can become fully operational.
