WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus held a press conference at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, regarding the latest situation concerning the detection of hantavirus cases on the Dutch-flagged passenger ship MV Hondius, sailing in the Atlantic Ocean. WHO Director-General Ghebreyesus announced that among the passengers on the ship, which experienced a rare hantavirus outbreak, 8 cases have been detected so far, three of which resulted in death. Ghebreyesus said, “5 of the 8 cases have been confirmed as hantavirus, the other 3 are suspected cases.”
Ghebreyesus stated that in previous hantavirus outbreaks, human-to-human transmission was only seen in cases of “prolonged close contact,” and that this is the case in this instance as well. Ghebreyesus said, “The first case was a man who began showing symptoms on April 6 and died on the ship on April 11. No samples were taken, and because the symptoms resembled other respiratory diseases, hantavirus was not initially suspected.”
According to the WHO official, the spouse of the deceased passenger disembarked when the ship docked in Saint Helena and also showed symptoms. The woman’s condition worsened during her flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, on April 25, and she died the following day. Ghebreyesus said samples taken in South Africa confirmed the case was hantavirus.
More cases may emerge
Ghebreyesus stated that the WHO is aware of claims that there are other individuals who may have had contact with the passengers and are showing symptoms, and that they are in contact with the relevant authorities. The WHO Director-General noted that the incubation period of the disease can be up to six weeks, indicating that more cases may emerge in the coming period.
Ghebreyesus added that although the disease is serious, the “risk level for public health is considered low.”
Risk low for the people of the Canary Islands
Ghebreyesus, who said he asked Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday to accept the ship and that Sanchez agreed, stated that the ship is currently heading towards Spain’s Canary Islands. The WHO Director-General said, “We trust Spain’s capacity to manage this risk and we support them in doing so.”
Ghebreyesus also said they consider the risk posed by hantavirus to the island’s population to be low. The WHO official stated that all passengers still on the ship have been asked to remain in their cabins, and individuals showing symptoms have been instructed to immediately go into isolation.
Said the infected couple visited areas with virus-carrying rats
Ghebreyesus said investigations into the origin of the outbreak are ongoing, but it has been determined that the couple who were the first two cases on the ship participated in a birdwatching trip in Argentina and visited locations where rats carrying the virus were seen. Ghebreyesus also stated that the WHO is working with Argentine authorities to obtain more information regarding the couple’s movements.
This is not Covid or influenza, it spreads very differently
Infectious disease epidemiologist Maria van Kerkhove, who took the floor during the press conference, stated that authorities have requested everyone on the MV Hondius ship to wear masks. Van Kerkhove said that individuals who have had contact with or are caring for people suspected of being ill should also use protective equipment.
Hantavirüsün ancak yakın insan teması yoluyla bulaştığını vurgulayan Kerkhove, “Bu Covid ya da influenza değil. Çok farklı bir şekilde yayılıyor” ifadelerini kullandı.
Bu, Covid pandemisinin başlangıcı değil
Kerkhove, basın toplantısında hantavirüs salgını ile Covid-19’un başlangıç günleri ile farkın ne olduğu sorusuna, “durumun altı yıl önceki ile aynı olmadığı” şeklinde cevap verdi. Kerkhove, “Burada çok net olmak istiyorum. Bu SARS-CoV-2 değil. Bu, Covid pandemisinin başlangıcı değil. Bu, gemide gördüğümüz bir salgın” ifadelerini kullandı.
Kerkhove, hantavirüsün koronavirüs ile aynı şekilde yayılmadığını ve ancak “yakın temas” ile bulaştığını söyledi.
