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Rat-borne virus outbreak not the start of new pandemic, says WHO
Albert TaitFri, 8 May 2026 at 4:43 AM SGT
31 min read
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Medics escort a patient who was evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship with suspected hantavirus infection, to an ambulance at Schiphol airport, Amsterdam - Peter Dejong
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The outbreak of a rat-borne virus on a cruise ship is not the start of a new global pandemic, health officials have said.
A global hunt is underway to trace 29 passengers of 12 nationalities who left MV Hondius last month before it continued its journey to Cape Verde.
Their departure came before the first case of hantavirus was confirmed and isolation measures were introduced, sparking fears they could have spread the deadly disease around the globe.
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Among the passengers who disembarked were seven British nationals, two of whom are currently self-isolating at home and do not have symptoms.
Four more are being “monitored” on St Helena, sources told The Telegraph, while officials are trying to track down the seventh, who is likely a dual national.
However, the World Health Organisation played down fears of a wider outbreak.
“This is not the start of an epidemic. This is not the start of a pandemic,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director. “This is not Covid.”
Officials are also trying to trace individuals from Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
