Overview
- WHO opened an investigation into a suspected hantavirus cluster on the MV Hondius, where three passengers died and at least one infection has been confirmed.
- Case tallies vary across reports, with some citing one confirmed case among six suspected and others noting two confirmed among seven symptomatic.
- Oceanwide Expeditions said it is arranging medical evacuation for two suspected patients to the Netherlands, with the ship anchored off Cape Verde and set to head to Spain’s Canary Islands afterward.
- A 69-year-old British passenger tested positive and was flown to South Africa for intensive care, highlighting the cross-border medical response on this voyage.
- WHO and Japan’s health ministry urged calm and advised against travel restrictions, noting hantavirus is mainly spread by rodents and human-to-human transmission is rare.