WHO chief says no new deaths reported in hantavirus outbreak since May 2

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday that no new deaths from the cruise-ship-linked hantavirus outbreak have been reported since May 2, while the global public health risk remains low.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on the US social media company X that a total of 11 cases have so far been reported to the agency as of May 12.

According to Tedros, eight of those cases have been laboratory-confirmed as infections caused by the Andes virus.

Hantavirus is a rare disease usually transmitted through infected rodents or their droppings, though the strain responsible for this outbreak, the Andes virus, can also spread between humans with prolonged close contact, often in enclosed settings.

He added that one additional case remains under further laboratory testing.

“WHO continues to assess the risk to the global population as low,” Tedros said.

The WHO chief also said the agency remains in close contact with experts from all involved countries and continues to receive weekly health reports concerning passengers and crew through official International Health Regulations channels.

Tedros said international coordination efforts remain ongoing to support measures aimed at protecting public health.