WHO officially declares end of Hantavirus outbreak

 The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday officially declared the end of the Hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship Hondius, after no new cases had been reported since 25th May. 

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the last person under monitoring had completed the quarantine period and tested negative, allowing the organisation to officially declare the outbreak over. The outbreak resulted in 13 confirmed cases and three deaths. 

He added that health authorities had identified and monitored more than 650 contacts across nearly 30 countries, noting that the infections were caused by the rare Andes strain, the only known Hantavirus strain capable of limited human-to-human transmission. Hantaviruses are normally transmitted through rodents and airborne particles originating from their droppings. 

WAM