The World Health Organization declared the Andes hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship M/V Hondius contained after all identified contacts completed follow-up without another secondary case. WHO's final July 2 update said the event no longer posed a public-health risk and that no further transmission related to the voyage was expected.
The cluster comprised 13 cases: 12 laboratory-confirmed infections and one probable case. Three people died. Ten patients had required hospital care; eight had recovered and been discharged, while two were still receiving treatment when WHO published the update. Every confirmed case involved someone who had travelled aboard the ship.
Authorities first notified WHO on May 2 after severe respiratory illnesses were detected during a South Atlantic voyage. Available evidence suggested the earliest infections were probably acquired on land before embarkation, but the precise source and route remained unresolved. Epidemiological and genomic investigations also found that limited person-to-person transmission occurred aboard the vessel.
That distinction matters because Andes virus is unusual among hantaviruses in having documented human-to-human spread. WHO said the confined ship environment likely facilitated transmission, while the pattern did not resemble a highly contagious airborne disease such as measles.
The response required contact tracing across 33 countries and overseas territories. By July 2, 317 people classified as high-risk contacts had completed quarantine and monitoring, and 336 lower-risk contacts had completed self-monitoring. The absence of additional cases through the full 42-day period supported the finding of interrupted transmission.
Containment of this cluster does not mean Andes virus has disappeared. The virus remains endemic in parts of South America, where infection is commonly associated with exposure to infected rodents and can cause severe hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.