GENEVA, June 10 (Xinhua) -- The British government has confirmed a case of hantavirus infection in Tristan da Cunha, a remote British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.
In a post on social media platform X, Tedros said the patient had previously been classified as a probable case and had been exposed aboard the MV Hondius.
As of June 10, the total number of confirmed cases remains 13, including three deaths, he said. No new deaths have been reported since May 2, when a cluster of severe respiratory illnesses linked to the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius was reported to the WHO.
The outbreak aboard the vessel had raised concerns about wider transmission. However, the WHO has assessed the overall risk to the public as low.
The organization has recommended active health monitoring for all evacuated passengers for 42 days from their last exposure date, either in designated quarantine facilities or at home. The monitoring period is scheduled to continue until June 21.
