Hantavirus cases from cruise outbreak rise to 13 following new case in Spain, WHO says


FILE PHOTO: The cruise ship MV Hondius, affected by a hantavirus outbreak, at the port of Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife, Spain, May 11, 2026. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes/File Photo

GENEVA, May 27 (Reuters) - The number of ⁠cases of Hantavirus linked to a ‌cruise ship at the centre of an outbreak has increased to 13, the head of the ​World Health Organization said on ⁠Wednesday.

"Spainreported a new ⁠case among the passengers who are in quarantine, ⁠which ‌brings the total number of cases to 13," WHO chief ⁠Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post ​on X.

Among ‌them three died, but there have ⁠been no ​new deaths since May 2, Ghebreyesus said.

"The situation remains stable. Passengers who got sick ⁠are receiving needed care, while ​others remain in quarantine," Ghebreyesus said.

In the last two weeks all remaining passengers, crew ⁠members and medical staff disembarked the MV Hondius luxury liner at the centre of the outbreak.

Hantaviruses are rodent-borne viruses that ​can infect people and cause ⁠illness. The WHO estimates there are 10,000 ​to 100,000 human cases ‌globally each year, with ​severity varying by strain.

(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, Editing by Linda Pasquini)

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