The World Health Organization has clarified that the recent hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius does not pose a global pandemic threat comparable to Covid-19.

According to the WHO, hantavirus spreads very differently from highly contagious respiratory diseases such as Covid-19 or influenza. Health officials emphasized that the overall risk to the public remains low because the virus generally does not spread easily between people and is usually transmitted through direct exposure to contaminated rodent waste.

The statement comes as international health agencies coordinate efforts to contain an outbreak connected to the expedition vessel. Although hantavirus infections are typically associated with environmental exposure, authorities are taking extra precautions because the suspected Andes strain has shown rare cases of human-to-human transmission.

Public health officials in several countries have launched extensive contact tracing operations to identify passengers who may have been exposed during the voyage.

Authorities are focusing particularly on travelers who left the ship before the outbreak was officially detected. The goal is to monitor them for symptoms and prevent secondary transmission in their home countries.

The tracing operation has become increasingly complex because passengers originated from more than a dozen countries. Officials are attempting to locate dozens of individuals who disembarked during the cruise.

Monitoring measures vary between nations. Some governments have imposed mandatory 45-day isolation periods, while others, including health agencies in the United States, are relying on daily temperature checks and self-monitoring procedures.

The WHO stressed that hantavirus infections differ significantly from airborne diseases such as measles or Covid-19. Officials noted that the outbreak was likely intensified by the confined conditions aboard the cruise ship rather than by a naturally high transmission rate.

Early symptoms of hantavirus infection resemble influenza and may include fever, muscle pain, breathing difficulties, and gastrointestinal problems.

While there is currently no specific cure for hantavirus, the WHO emphasized that rapid medical treatment greatly improves survival chances.

International travel linked to the outbreak has raised additional concerns among health authorities.

A flight attendant working for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines tested negative for hantavirus after reportedly showing mild symptoms following possible exposure.

The crew member had allegedly come into contact with an infected passenger on a Johannesburg-to-Amsterdam flight. The passenger was removed from the aircraft before departure because of severe illness and later died in a South African hospital.

Dutch health authorities subsequently launched precautionary tracing efforts for other passengers connected to the flight.

Meanwhile, a third suspected case involving a British national is under observation on the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, where the cruise ship had previously docked.

British health authorities also confirmed that two UK nationals linked to the outbreak remain hospitalized in the Netherlands and South Africa.

Attention is now turning toward the expected arrival of the MV Hondius in Europe.

Spanish authorities are reportedly preparing strict quarantine and evacuation procedures as the ship approaches the Canary Islands. The vessel, carrying approximately 140 passengers and crew members, is expected to dock in Tenerife.

Officials plan to receive passengers in an isolated and secured zone to minimize any potential risk.

Health authorities stated that no passengers currently aboard the ship are showing symptoms. However, hantavirus can incubate for between one and eight weeks, prompting continued monitoring and strict observation measures.

Several governments, including the United Kingdom and the United States, are reportedly arranging special repatriation flights for their citizens from the Spanish quarantine zone.

British passengers returning home are expected to undergo a mandatory 45-day isolation period despite the WHO’s assessment that the general public risk remains low.