Hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius: Passengers on the cruise ship are considered "high-risk contacts" and must be monitored for 42 days, according to WHO.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that all passengers and crew members on board the MV Hondius, where an outbreak of hantavirus has been confirmed, are classified as "high-risk contacts." Maria Van Kerkhove, the director of the WHO's prevention department, emphasized the need for active monitoring of these individuals for 42 days.

Although the outbreak has raised concerns, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reassured residents of Tenerife that the risk to public health remains low, noting that hantavirus does not pose a similar threat to Covid-19.

So far, six cases of hantavirus have been confirmed out of the eight suspected cases, and the Andes strain, responsible for human-to-human transmission, has been identified in a sick passenger. Passengers remain isolated in their cabins until monitoring is completed.