Hantavirus has not mutated to be more transmissible: WHO
Health officials said the Andes strain has not mutated, while 8 cases were confirmed and 2 were probable as passengers were traced and quarantined.
- The deaths of three passengers from a rare Andes strain hantavirus outbreak on a cruise from Argentina to Cape Verde sparked international alarm.
- On Wednesday, the Stockholm-based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported no signs the Andes strain had mutated, with Andreas Hoefer noting sequences are "virtually identical" to known variants.
- Seven other passengers are confirmed to have the virus, including a French woman in critical condition, while an eighth case is considered "probable"; all are now in 42-day quarantine.
- ECDC director Pamela Rendi-Wagner warned that more cases may occur "due to the long incubation period," while health officials recommend contact tracing for two days before symptom onset.
- While the disease typically spreads from infected rodents via urine or saliva, there are currently no vaccines or specific treatments available for the Andes strain.
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Hantavirus doesn't linger, requires close contact: Officials
Medical staff direct some of the last passengers to be evacuated from the MV Hondius on May 11, 2026, in Tenerife, part of the Canary Islands, Spain. (Chris Mcgrath/Getty Images) (NEW YORK) — Health experts tell ABC News that the current science behind the hantavirus that circulated throughout the MV Hondius does not show the same levels of transmission as with COVID-19, while acknowledging that the scenario may seem similar to the beginning of …
Hantavirus Strain in Outbreak Hasn't Become More Transmissible, WHO Says
(MedPage Today) -- The hantavirus that triggered a cruise ship outbreak hasn't mutated into a more transmissible strain, World Health Organization (WHO) officials said, and any new cases likely reflect effective monitoring of existing contacts...
Is Hantavirus Mutating To Become More Contagious? US Experts Say No
European and US health experts say the hantavirus linked to the deadly MV Hondius cruise outbreak shows no evidence of mutating to become more contagious. Officials continue monitoring passengers worldwide as investigations into transmission continue
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