GENEVA, May 5, 2026 (WAFA) – The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that three people died and three others were infected with what is suspected to be the Hantavirus on board a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
The World Health Organization's Regional Director for Europe, Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, confirmed in a statement Monday evening that the risk to the general public remains low and there is no need to panic or impose travel restrictions.
The UN agency reported that one patient is currently in intensive care at a South African hospital, adding that it is working with authorities to evacuate two other passengers from the ship who are showing symptoms of the illness.
There are several types of hantavirus, differing in their geographic distribution, clinical symptoms, and mortality rates. The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) states that only one type of hantavirus is transmitted from person to person, and it is very rare.
Hantavirus is found on every continent. It takes its name from the Hantan River, which flows between North and South Korea. During the Korean War in the early 1950s, more than 3,000 soldiers were infected with the virus.
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