WHO says hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship to end on July 2

The World Health Organization announced that the hantavirus outbreak linked to the Dutch‑flagged MV Hondius will be declared over on July 2 if no new cases are reported. The outbreak resulted in 12 confirmed and one probable case, including three deaths, and more than 650 contacts have been monitored in 33 countries. All but 54 contacts have completed quarantine; the remaining individuals are scheduled to finish isolation by July 2. WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency will continue studies of virus samples to support future diagnostics, treatments and vaccines, noting that the Andes strain involved can transmit between humans.

In Canada, a Yukon passenger who tested positive for the Andes strain in mid‑May was discharged from a British Columbia hospital on June 25. The patient remains under medical observation and will finish quarantine on June 26. The passenger was part of a couple from the Yukon; the partner tested negative. The other three passengers from the cruise have already completed their quarantine periods. The MV Hondius departed Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1, sailed the South Atlantic and was later docked in Tenerife, Spain, where the remaining passengers were evacuated.