The hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch cruise ship prompted the WHO to issue evacuation orders.
The United Nations health agency announced Tuesday (May 5) that it had issued evacuation orders for two passengers on board the MD. Hondius ship, fearing that human-to-human transmission could not be ruled out.
To facilitate the evacuation of two people, WHO doctors would board the ship.
In a final update, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO Director for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, briefed the media on the hantavirus outbreak.
She said: “We know that some of the cases have had very close contact with each other and human-to-human transmission certainly cannot be ruled out, so as a precautionary measure that is what we are assuming.”
The hantavirus has so far caused three deaths and several others who have fallen ill.
Those who died include a Dutch couple and a German national, while a British national is believed to remain in intensive care in South Africa.
150 people, including 17 American nationals, remain stranded on the MV Hondius which is sailing off the coast of West Africa.
The outbreak was first reported on the Netherlands-based cruise ship MV Hondius, which was sailing between Argentina and Cape Verde on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
Earlier on Tuesday (May 4), a WHO official said: “There was no need to panic and the risk to the public was low. »
