WHO: Hantavirus Risk 'Absolutely Low' as Ship Heads to Port

A cruise ship outbreak of a rare virus is turning into an unexpected story of hope, as health experts confirm the disease poses almost no risk to the general public.

The MV Hondius, carrying about 150 people, is sailing toward Spain's Canary Islands after three passengers died from hantavirus during their Atlantic crossing. While the headlines sound scary, the World Health Organization delivered reassuring news Friday: this virus isn't easily jumping between people.

"This is a dangerous virus, but only to the person who's really infected, and the risk to the general population remains absolutely low," WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters. The evidence backs him up. Even some passengers sharing cabins with infected people never got sick.

The ship left Argentina on April 1 for what should have been a routine Atlantic journey. When passengers started falling ill, the vessel stopped at remote islands and Cape Verde to evacuate the sickest travelers for proper medical care. Now it's heading to Tenerife, where countries have arranged special flights to bring everyone home safely.

Health workers traced contacts across multiple continents after some passengers disembarked early. In one encouraging case, a KLM flight attendant who came into contact with an infected passenger and showed mild symptoms tested negative for the virus. That's more good news showing how hard it is for this virus to spread.

The confirmed culprit is Andes virus, the only hantavirus species that can transmit between people. But even this rarest form isn't behaving like past pandemics. "It's not spreading anything close to how Covid was spreading," Lindmeier said.

The Bright Side

This outbreak is revealing something hopeful about our global health response. Countries are working together smoothly to get people home. Medical teams joined the ship before it left Cape Verde, giving passengers peace of mind. Britain chartered special flights with infection control measures at every step.

YouTuber Kasem Ibn Hattuta, traveling on the ship, shared that passengers are staying calm and positive. "Everyone is keeping high spirit, people are smiling and taking the situation calmly," he said. They're wearing masks indoors and keeping distance, but they're not panicking.

The Spanish government has a solid plan: the ship will anchor offshore, passengers will transfer to smaller vessels, then head straight to the airport for repatriation flights. No docking means protecting the local community while still getting people home.

Health officials have confirmed only five cases and three suspected cases total, with no new suspected cases currently on the ship. The careful monitoring and quick response prevented this from becoming something much worse.

Even US President Trump acknowledged the situation is "very much, we hope, under control," after being briefed Thursday.

The passengers will be home soon, and the broader world can breathe easy knowing this rare outbreak was caught and contained.