WHO confirms 10 global hantavirus cases, Hondius crew remain symptom-free

World Health Organization has reiterated that the risk of hantavirus spreading is ‘low’.There are currently 10 global cases of hantavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said, lowering its earlier figure of 11 after a person who was thought to have contracted hantavirus was confirmed to be negative.Maria Van Kerkhove, the director of the WHO’s department for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, said on Friday that the earlier count “included one individual who had an inconclusive test … We’ve had further confirmation from the United States that person was negative.”Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Tragedy at sea: MV Hondius captain praises unity amid hantavirus outbreak.list 2 of 3Why the hantavirus outbreak is different from COVID-19list 3 of 3Hantavirus: how scared should we be?end of listEight cases were laboratory-confirmed, while two were classified as probable, according to the WHO.Three people have died since the outbreak began on the MV Hondius, a Dutch luxury cruise ship that departed Argentina on a polar expedition.WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated that the “risk” to the global population is “low”.The captain and the ship’s 26-member crew remain on board and continue to be monitored, with Tedros confirming that there are currently no symptomatic individuals on board.However, due to the long incubation time – which is six weeks – Tedros warned that “more cases may be reported in coming days as passengers return to their countries.”The passengers will be quarantined and tested in specialised facilities or at home, he added‘Outbreak is not expanding’“This does not mean the outbreak is expanding; it shows that the control measures are working, that laboratory testing is ongoing, and that people are being cared for with support from their governments,” the WHO chief said.