Hantavirus Cluster Linked to Cruise Ship Travel | WHO — Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove
UN Geneva Press Briefing, 5 May 2026

Transcript generated and reviewed by Jessica Hockett. Sourced from teleprompter https://www.unognewsroom.org/teleprompter/en/3111/un-geneva-press-briefing-05-may-2026/9307 | 

Alessandra Vellucci [Director, UN Information Services]: Maria Van Kerkhove, the director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, on this cluster of hantavirus we’ve heard about in the last days. You start immediately, or you want to go ahead?

Maria Van Kerkhove [Director, Epidemic and Pandemic Management, WHO]: So hello, everybody. No, I’m here for a very different reason. I hope you don’t associate me only with Covid, but I hope to be able to brief you more on different things that are happening around the world. So thank you very much for the invitation to be here, and thanks for those of you in the room and online.

So good morning, everyone. First of all, I’d like to update you on the situation involving hantavirus on a cruise ship that is currently stationed off the coast of Cabo Verde in the Atlantic Ocean. As of today, seven individuals of the 147 passengers and crew have been reported ill. Sadly, three have died. One patient is in intensive care in South Africa, although we understand that this patient is improving well. Two patients are still on board the ship and are being prepared for medical evacuation to the Netherlands for treatment.

In our disease outbreak news that we published late last night, we did mention a third suspected case who reported a mild fever at one point, and that would make this a total of seven cases, two confirmed and five suspected.

This person, I’m happy to say, is currently doing well and is asymptomatic.

So, typically, when we have these ongoing investigations, our case numbers will change. They’ll go up or they’ll go down, so we will update you as necessary.

At this stage, there are no additional symptomatic people on board. That said, the situation is being closely monitored, and, as a precaution, passengers have been asked to remain in their cabins while disinfection and other public health measures are carried out.

Medical teams from Cabo Verde are providing support on board the ship.

Hantavirus infection was confirmed by laboratory tests in two of the patients by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa, and further tests, including sequencing of the virus, are being conducted by NICD, as well as testing of the symptomatic patients on board, those two individuals, with the support from Institut Pasteur of Dakar in Senegal.

Hantaviruses are viruses that are carried by some types of rodents. They can cause severe illness in humans, and they can be fatal. While we don’t often hear about them, there are thousands of infections that are estimated to occur globally each year. People are usually infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, their droppings, or their saliva.

Human-to-human transmission is uncommon. Limited spread among close contacts has been observed in some previous outbreaks with one of the viruses, the Andes virus.

WHO is working closely with authorities in Cabo Verde, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the ship’s operators to coordinate actions to ensure the safety and health of all people on board, while also limiting further spread.

WHO has informed all of our Member States through our channels, our international health regulation channels.

We are supporting the medical evacuation of the two sick patients who are stable, on board, and we’re coordinating with the Dutch and Cabo Verde authorities and the ship’s operators. This is currently underway.

Epidemiologic investigations are also underway to better understand the source of exposures of the suspected cases. Contact tracing is ongoing. Further laboratory testing continues.

We are also coordinating information exchanges and actions across all of the Member States that are involved. As you know, there are more than 20 nationalities represented by people that are on board. We are providing technical assistance. We’re ensuring appropriate public health measures are in place on board.

We are also conducting risk assessments and have released emergency funds for [from?] our contingency fund for emergencies to support immediate actions. Collaboration has really been excellent. I can’t thank that enough. I thank all of the Member States who have been involved, the NICD, the Institut Pasteur Dakar, the ministries. This is what WHO does. This is what we want to see happen in each of these outbreaks. So we’re extremely grateful, and I don’t apologize for thanking them, even though that’s what they’re meant to do. So thank you to everyone involved.

Based on the current information and what we know about previous outbreaks, WHO assesses the overall risk to the public as low. We will continue to monitor the situation. We are actively engaged in working with countries, and we will provide any updates as necessary.

Alessandra V: Thank you very much, Maria, for this update. It’s important that we understand better what’s happening there. I see quite a few hands, so I’ll start with AFP. Robin.

Robin: Thank you. I have several questions. Those people who are on the flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg, are they at risk, and what should they do? Secondly, should the Cape Verde authorities let the passengers disembark in Cape Verde? Would they have the capacity to manage the situation? And testing — how long does the process take to get results? And does that involve testing for the Andes virus? How long would that take to determine, and is that underway already? And also, do you have any theories at the moment as to how the situation may have come about? Thank you.

Maria V: Thank you very much for the question. So the first question related to the flight. Contact tracing has been initiated on the flight there. What we know typically about hantaviruses — I just want to put this in context — typically, the exposure, the infection comes from contact with rodents. We have seen with one of the viruses, the Andes virus, that there has been some limited human-to-human transmission.

Now, I know that means different things to different people, but just to say that’s really among very close contacts, which is what we’re — I’ll come to your later question later — what we actually think has happened in the current context on the ship itself. So contact tracing is initiated. What will happen is the authorities in the countries will contact those who are on board. They will be asked to monitor their symptoms, and then they will follow up accordingly. Just because you’re on a plane doesn’t mean that you have a high risk of exposure.

So what they’ll do is they’ll look at high-risk contacts, low-risk contacts. We’ll do that actually in all different types of settings. So that is underway. I don’t have any feedback on that right now. We’re also doing that — just to say, it’s not just the people who are on the ship that, of course, we are concerned about. We’re also working with authorities for anyone that has left the boat — the ship, I’m sorry, I was told to say ship — that has left the ship in different ports along the cruise. 

In terms of the authorities, in terms of disembarking. So right now the ship is off the coast of Cabo Verde. The plan is, and our highest priority is, to medically evacuate these two individuals to make sure that they have the care that they receive. So the plan, that is currently in the works, it’s underway. The plan now is for the ship to continue on to the Canary Islands.

We’re working with Spanish authorities who will welcome the ship, have said that they will welcome the ship, to do a full investigation, a full epidemiologic investigation, full disinfection of the ship, and of course, to assess the risk of the passengers that are actually on board.

As I said, there are no other symptomatic patients who are on board, so that is planned. Once the two sick individuals on board are medically evacuated, then the ship can move. So that’s in progress.

In terms of testing, it depends on the type of test. They can either do PCR tests, they could do serology. So it can take a day, it can take a couple of days. It’s depending on what is done. It also matters how quickly the samples can get to a lab that can actually do the testing. Again, NICD in South Africa has done a fantastic job with the patients that have arrived there. Sequencing is underway by NICD in South Africa.

We’re hoping to get those results as soon as possible. We were hoping this morning, but they’re working very hard on it. So perhaps tomorrow.

We are working under the assumption that it’s the Andes virus. From a precautionary point of view, we feel that this is the best approach to make sure that we have the right precautions in place. But yes, it is underway. Once we have that result, we will let you know. We are also awaiting further laboratory results of the two patients on board, and that is being conducted by IP Dakar.So they actually flew to Cabo Verde to support, and that testing is underway. I don’t have those results yet. 

And in terms of theories, we don’t have a full picture yet, but we have some working assumptions.

And any of you working in science or following us over the last couple of years, you know, you have assumptions, you find some answers, and then you make new assumptions, or you have new hypotheses to test.

Our working assumption, given the timeline of the cases, the suspected cases that we know — those six or seven, if we count the one that’s doing well — the initial patient, the initial case and his wife, they joined the boat in Argentina. And with the timing of the incubation period of hantavirus, which can be anywhere from one to six weeks, our assumption is that they were infected off the ship, perhaps doing some activities there. This was an expedition boat, and many of the people on board were doing bird watching. They were doing a lot of things with wildlife.

So our assumption is they were infected off the boat and then joined the cruise. The cruise did stop at many different islands up the coast of Africa, and again, seeing a lot of different wildlife on those islands. There are birds. Some islands have a lot of rodents, others don’t. So there could be some source of infection on the islands as well for some of the other suspect cases.

However, we do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that’s happening among the really close contacts: the husband and wife, people who’ve shared cabins, et cetera.

So again, our assumption is that has happened, and that’s why we are operating and working with the ship to make sure that anyone who is symptomatic, anyone caring for patients, is wearing full personal protective equipment.

The medical personnel who have boarded the boat have brought additional PPE as well.

So that’s our working assumption. But just again, contextually, hantaviruses don’t typically transmit that way. It’s really a rodent infection.

Alessandra V: Thank you very much. That was really clear. Jeremy, Radio France International.

Jeremy: Thanks you, Alessandra. Dr. Van Kerkhove, two questions, just to make sure I get that right on the number. You meant 5 suspected cases, 2 confirmed, but we have 3 dead. So that means that one person who has died has not been confirmed to be positive, right?

You’re nodding. So that’s a yes, that was an easy one.

The second question is more on when was the last time you had to monitor such a cluster of hantavirus? And question on treatment: is there any specific treatment for this Andes virus?

Maria V: Yeah, thanks very much. So yes, no, as I nodded in your first answer, one of the, sadly, patients who died, we didn’t have a lab test from. In terms of when we investigated clusters like this in the past, we haven’t had something like this on a ship before, but there have been some clusters of hantavirus in the past.

There’s a really good paper that has been sent to me multiple times over the last couple of days, which I did know about. There are thousands of cases of hantavirus that do occur each year from exposure to rodents. But there is one cluster in Argentina that happened a few years ago that we often refer to.

It’s uncommon. It’s definitely uncommon. And again, when you have an enclosed setting, you have people that are spending a lot of time together, these types of things can happen.

And then your last question on treatment. So right now, there aren’t any specific treatments for hantavirus, but care is supportive. Typically, people will develop respiratory symptoms. So respiratory support is really important, particularly oxygen.

So what we want, especially if patients are deteriorating, we want to make sure that they have the appropriate level of care. They have intensive care, then they have respiratory support. But no, there is no specific treatment. There are some that are in development, but at the present time care is supportive.

So if there are people that are on the boat, if I may, we have heard from quite a few people on the boat. We just want you to know we are working with the ship’s operators. We are working with the countries where you are from. We hear you. We know that you are scared. And we’re trying to make sure that the ship has as much information as they can, which I know is being communicated through the Captain, and to have a really proper plan to make sure that you’re cared for and of course, that you get home safely.

Alessandra V: Well heard. Olivia, Reuters.

Olivia: Hello, thank you very much for this comprehensive briefing. If I may, I just have a few questions. I just want to understand you, just to triple-check. You were saying that your working assumption is that there has been some human-to-human transmission among the really close contacts. I think you mentioned the [husband/wife] couple.

Has there been any testing in terms of the strain of the virus? You did mention there was mention of the Andes virus, but I just wasn’t clear whether that testing has occurred, and if you have had the results. Given you’re suspecting human-to-human transmission, are you therefore suspecting, as a kind of working hypothesis, that this strain is the Andean strain?

And also you mentioned that PPE has been sent onto the ship. I’m just wondering: is the World Health Organization sending any mouse experts, for example, traps to try and take a rat and sample tests and see if they’re carrying any infection?

Maria V: Yeah, thanks very much. So yes, to say again, we are definitely looking at what virus is actually infecting the individuals. To do that, we need sequencing. So the sequencing is currently underway by the South Africans, and we hope to have a result soon.

Our working assumption is that it is the Andes virus. It could not be, but we’re assuming that it is until we determine otherwise, because we do know that in the past there has been some limited human-to-human transmission with this virus.

The point being, regardless of which virus it actually is, we do know that some of the cases have had very close contact with each other, and certainly human-to-human transmission can’t be ruled out. So as a precaution, this is what we are assuming so that we could take the necessary further precautions to limit onward spread.

And I do want to remind you we don’t have, aside from these two sick individuals on board, there are no other symptomatic patients or symptomatic people on board. And that’s a good thing. But we are monitoring that closely.

In terms of trapping, I don’t, I’m not aware of what’s actually being done in terms of trapping. Rodents are everywhere. So there is testing that does happen routinely in some countries. But in this case, to identify a rat that would do this, I think would be quite difficult. There will be environmental studies that will be done, though.

We’re looking at a full exposure history of everybody who is on board: where they were, what they were doing, if they came into contact with wild animals. We had lots of different hypotheses in the beginning. Was it avian influenza? Was it legionella?

So all of these things needed to be worked out. With this confirmation of hantavirus, it’s very, very helpful. And again, having that so quickly was really helpful for authorities.

Olivia: Thank you I just wanted to check, sorry and forgive the simple question, but when you say close contact, could you perhaps specify what you mean by that exactly? What does close contact mean? Does that mean people who have been in physical contact, within the same room, or the same dining table? Just a bit of detail on how therefore it would, yeah, spread. Because how here is quite important to understand.

Maria V: What we will do, first of all, is we will look at all of the different types of contact people had. Some people on the ship were couples. They were sharing rooms. So that’s quite intimate contact, physical contact for long periods of time, spending in close proximity to one another.

Certainly, they’re on a ship, and so they would have shared rooms or shared dining facilities. But again, when we say close, we mean there’s a physical distance — and I’m not going to give a specific meter, because obviously people come in close contact, they move far apart from one another.

There are some respiratory symptoms, so if somebody is symptomatic, they can obviously spread through these infectious respiratory particles. I won’t say droplets or aerosols, but that can happen. But this is not typically how hantavirus spreads. So, we are trying to determine actually that.

What I don’t want to come away with this briefing is that everybody on board is at the same risk. That would not be the case. But when we do see couples that have spent a long time together and both of them are infected, either they had a common-source infection and one incubated quicker than the other, or one infected the other.

So for us, what we want to do — and we know the people, the number of people on the boat — we can treat the people on the boat in a very specific way to maximize our support to them and lower the risk. But, of course, it’s not the same. The risk to the general public is low. This is not a virus that spreads like flu or like COVID.

Alessandra V: Albert Otti, TPA.

Albert Otti: Hello. Thanks. I have one question regarding the addition, the seventh suspected case that you mentioned at the beginning. If this person is not symptomatic, why is it a suspected case? And can you specify whether it’s a crew member or a passenger?

Maria V: I’m not sure if I’m supposed to say if it’s a crew member or a passenger, for privacy purposes. It’s a person on board, if I could say.

This individual did report a mild fever. This is what we’ve been told: a mild fever. So that’s why initially considered a suspected case. There were samples that were taken from this individual, so we will look for the lab results as well.

But I’m just very happy to say this person is feeling well, is healthy, and I wanted to distinguish between those who need to be medevacked and those who are doing well.

Alessandra V: Maria, thank you so much. That was so clear and comprehensive. Oh, sorry, Robin, just last question, because we have abused your patience.

Robin: Is there anything that can be done on board to kill the virus? Is there anything that is known to eliminate this? Secondly, remaining in your cabins — would that be the optimal thing to do, or is it just the best available thing to do in these circumstances?

And finally, yesterday the operator said there were 149 people on board, including passengers and crew, but including one fatality. So I’m just trying to see if I can figure out what the discrepancy is. Thank you.

Maria V: I’ll start with the last one. I’ll have to come back to you on that. I’m reporting what information we have, but I don’t know if they were counting the medical professionals who boarded the ship. I’m not sure. Certainly not our intent to say we’re missing people by any means. But yes, someone did pass away on board, and we’re working with the authorities on that to make sure that the remains are sent home properly and in a dignified way.

In terms of on board, yes, as a precaution, because we don’t know the extent of the circulation on board — and again, I will remind you, we have no other symptomatic patients on board — the recommendation is for people to remain in their cabins.

Obviously, that’s not very pleasant for everyone for a long period of time. There is, we understand, plenty of food, plenty of water on board. So people are being fed, and they are doing some decontamination on board, disinfection in the cabins themselves.

So we’ve asked about any rats on board. We’ve been told there are no rats on board. So there are lots of different things that are happening.

Right now, what we want to do, because we have an enclosed space and we have these individuals who are still off the coast of Cabo Verde and will go to the Canary Islands, is make sure that we minimize their risk. These are precautions that are being put in place just to limit any potential onward risk.

Alessandra V: Thank you so very, very much. Thanks for answering all these questions. I’m really happy that you could give us this update and that you’re back to the press briefing. Come anytime, anytime, to update us on this and other situations.

Hantavirus: Here we go again?