The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the end of the hantavirus outbreak that emerged among passengers aboard the tourist vessel MV Hondius, nearly three months after the first case was reported.
Three people died and 13 others were infected after being exposed to the Andes virus, a rare type of hantavirus, during a voyage on the MV Hondius. The ship had departed from Argentina toward Cape Verde on April 1, before the outbreak occurred.
On Thursday, WHO officials said the last identified close contact of a confirmed case had completed quarantine and tested negative.
“Of the hospitalized confirmed cases, eight have recovered and been discharged, while two patients—one in South Africa and one in France—remain hospitalized,” the WHO said in its statement.
No new cases linked to the outbreak have been reported since May 25.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also commented on the end of the outbreak on the social media platform X.
However, the WHO stressed that it will continue working with governments and partners to better understand the causes of the outbreak and the virus itself.
The organization thanked countries involved in the response, including Argentina, Cape Verde, Chile, the Netherlands, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, as well as Spain for assisting in the evacuation and repatriation of passengers and crew in Tenerife.
The MV Hondius was cleared to return to service in mid-June.
The Dutch Public Health Agency said in a May 30 update that there were no longer any public health obstacles to the ship resuming operations following final inspections.
