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The World Health Organization stated that the outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship in the South Atlantic does not constitute the start of a new pandemic.
Maria van Kerkhove, an infectious diseases epidemiologist at the WHO, said during a press conference that the situation is not comparable to the Covid-19 pandemic, as hantavirus is only spread through "close and intimate contact."
Health authorities are trying to trace dozens of people who recently disembarked from the Dutch ship MV Hondius.
The WHO announced that five of eight suspected cases of hantavirus have been confirmed so far. Three people have died, including a 69-year-old Dutch woman infected with the virus.
Her Dutch husband and a German woman have also died, while authorities are investigating whether their cases are linked to the virus.
Hantavirus is usually transmitted by rodents, but the WHO said this outbreak marks the first documented human-to-human transmission.
The luxury cruise ship, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, set sail on April 1 from Ushuaia in southern Argentina and is expected to arrive in Spain's Canary Islands.
There were about 150 passengers and crew members from 28 different countries on board. Dozens of them disembarked on the island of St. Helena on April 24.
Maria van Kerkhove stressed that "this is not Covid or flu," adding that the way it spreads is very different. According to her, authorities have required that everyone on board wear masks, while those caring for suspected cases must use more advanced protective equipment.
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus stated that the organization assesses the risk to public health as "low".
He said the first two confirmed cases had traveled to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay during a birdwatching expedition, where they had visited areas with the presence of the type of rats that carry the virus.
The WHO warned that, due to the incubation period that can last up to six weeks, it is possible that more cases will be reported in the coming days.
Oceanwide Expeditions said 29 passengers from at least 12 nationalities disembarked the ship in St. Helena. The Dutch government said the number of people who left the ship could reach 40, including a Swiss national with a confirmed case.
British authorities announced that seven of the passengers were British citizens. Two of them are self-isolating in the United Kingdom, while the others have not yet returned.
Saint Helena, one of the most isolated islands in the world, has an area of just 127 square kilometers, about 4,400 inhabitants and a single hospital.
The Dutch woman who later died in South Africa was among those disembarking on St. Helena. Meanwhile, three other people – British, Dutch and German citizens – were evacuated from the ship on Wednesday.
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