Kamal Ghorui
Hantavirus Outbreak (Image credit: AP)
The World Health Organization, in an update issued on May 13, has confirmed that the recent Hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius has claimed three lives this year. It said that 11 cases have been reported so far, including eight confirmed infections linked to the Andes virus, the only known Hantavirus strain capable of human-to-human transmission.Although WHO says hantavirus infections remain relatively rare globally, the current outbreak has drawn international attention because of its connection to the Dutch cruise ship, which had been carrying travellers through the South Atlantic and Canary Islands before becoming linked to one of the most closely watched disease outbreaks of 2026.According to the WHO, the first identified patient is believed to have contracted the infection before boarding the ship through exposure on land. Investigations are still underway to determine the exact circumstances.The outbreak has also renewed questions about why a vaccine for hantavirus is still unavailable and how many more lives could be lost before one is developed.What progress has been made on a vaccine?Research into antibody-based treatments for Hantavirus began years before the current outbreak, with a major breakthrough emerging around 2016. According to a Bloomberg report, scientist Marcela Barria and her team in Chile had been conducting advanced immunovirology research at the Universidad de Concepcion, roughly 300 miles south of Santiago.However, the project eventually stalled due to a lack of funding. Barria, now a researcher at Universidad San Sebastian in Puerto Montt, told Bloomberg that moving into human trials would require investments of nearly $7 million. Although the team sought international funding support, progress slowed significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic.“The key factor that’s preventing further progress is funding and resources,” Barria said. “We have made significant advances, but we’ve reached a stage that is much more expensive and requires a different level of investment, as well as specific infrastructure that we are currently lacking.”Can the virus be managed in the meantime?The WHO says the outbreak is currently being handled through a coordinated international response that includes epidemiological investigations, patient isolation, clinical management, medical evacuations, laboratory testing, international contact tracing, quarantines and health monitoring.Health authorities say recommendations could change as more epidemiological evidence and genetic sequencing data become available.What is the current situation?Six passengers from the cruise, including four Australians, one British citizen living in Australia and one New Zealander, are expected to fly from the Netherlands to Australia on Thursday.Australian Health Minister Mark Butler said the passengers were in “good health,” had shown no symptoms and recently tested negative for the virus, according to AFP.What are the symptoms of Hantavirus infection? Initial signs of infection can include fatigue, mild fever and body aches before rapidly progressing in some cases into severe respiratory illness.Olivier Le Polain, head of WHO’s epidemiology and analytics for response division, says, “If WHO recommends quarantine, it is because people are infectious at the very start of illness,” he said, noting that early symptoms are often mild and difficult to identify.
