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STORY: WHO / TEDROS HANTAVIRUS UPDATE
TRT: 07:51
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT WHO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 07 MAY 2026, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE
FILE – GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Various shots, WHO headquarters
07 MAY 2026, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“So far, eight cases have been reported, including three deaths. Five of the eight cases have been confirmed as hantavirus, and the other three are suspected.”
3. Wide shot, press briefing room
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“The species of hantavirus involved in this case is the Andes virus – which is found in Latin America and is the only species known to be capable of limited transmission between humans.”
5. Wide shot, press briefing room
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“None of the remaining passengers or crew on the ship are currently symptomatic.”
7. Wide shot, press briefing room
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“WHO is aware of reports of other people with symptoms who may have had contact with one of the passengers. In each case, we are in close contact with the relevant authorities.
Given the incubation period for Andes virus, which can be up to six weeks, it’s possible that more cases may be reported.”
9. Wide shot, press briefing room
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low.”
11. Wide shot, press briefing room
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“It also shows why the International Health Regulations exist, and how they work. WHO is working with multiple governments and partners on the response, under those Regulations.”
13. Wide shot, press briefing room
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“Our priorities are to ensure the affected patients receive care, that the remaining passengers on the ship are kept safe and treated with dignity, and to prevent any further spread of the virus.”
15. Wide shot, press briefing room
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“On Monday, I asked Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain to accept the ship, which he agreed to do – and I thank Prime Minister Sanchez for his generosity, solidarity and meeting his moral duty.”
17. Wide shot, press briefing room
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“The ship is now sailing for the Canary Islands. We are confident in the capacity of Spain to manage this risk, and we are supporting them to do so. Once again, we assess the risk to the people of the Canary Islands as low.”
19. Wide shot, press briefing room
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“A WHO expert boarded the ship in Cabo Verde and has been joined by two doctors from the Netherlands and an expert from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, who will stay on the ship until it reaches the Canary Islands. They are conducting a medical assessment of everyone on board and gathering information to assess their risk of infection.”
21. Wide shot, press briefing room
22. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“WHO is developing step-by-step operational guidance for the safe and respectful disembarkation and onward travel of passengers and crew when they arrive.”
23. Wide shot, press briefing room
24. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“I have been in touch with the ship’s captain regularly, including this morning. He told me morale has improved significantly since the ship started moving again. I thank him for everything he has done to protect those under his duty of care.”
25. Wide shot, press briefing room
26. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“WHO will continue to work with all relevant governments and partners to provide care for those who are affected, protect the safety and dignity of passengers, and prevent onward spread of the virus.”
27. Wide shot, press briefing room
28. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, Director (a.i) Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, World Health Organization (WHO):
“So far, as you've heard, we have eight, cases so far, five of whom have been confirmed, three who have sadly died. We have no further symptomatic patients who are onboard or passengers or crew onboard, I should say, which is a good sign. But, of course, there is a long incubation period of the Andes virus.”
29. Wide shot, press briefing room
30. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, Director (a.i) Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, World Health Organization (WHO):
“We know onboard, they have taken some precautions, to try to minimize the risk. What they have advised onboard is disinfection of the rooms. They have confined people to their cabins and providing food and water. And they have asked as a precautionary measure for anyone leaving their room, excuse me, to wear a medical mask.”
31. Wide shot, press briefing room
32. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, Director (a.i) Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, World Health Organization (WHO):
“We certainly advise people who are caring for those who are suspected of this Andes virus or hantaviruses to a higher level of personal protective equipment. That guidance has been given to the people on board, but also there are the two patients that are in hospital in the Netherlands, and there's a patient in ICU, in South Africa.”
33. Wide shot, press briefing room
34. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, Director (a.i) Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, World Health Organization (WHO):
“What we do know is that the Andes virus in previous outbreaks, there has been instances of human-to-human transmission, mainly among close contacts, either providing clinical care or people who have had close physical contact. And we believe that's happening and has happened in the case here on the ship as well between the couple, the first and second cases, and also a medical doctor providing care.”
35. Wide shot, press briefing room
36. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, Director (a.i) Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, World Health Organization (WHO):
“This is not COVID. This is not influenza. It spreads very, very differently. So, there are different precautions that people are taking. So, we are supporting the ship's operators and the mitigation measures that they are putting on board.”
37. Wide shot, press briefing room
38. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Abdirahman Mahamud, Director, Health Emergency Alert & Response Operations, World Health Organization (WHO):
“The situation, what makes it unique here, is similarity crowded in a confined space. We had a similar situation in Argentina in 2018-2019 when a symptomatic individual attended a social gathering. So that led to a lot of people getting infected. So, we are in a similar situation right now, a cluster in a confined space with close contact. Does that mean the rest of the world this disease will spread? We had that outbreak in 2018 and led only 34 cases. We may have similar cases from there.”
39. Wide shot, press briefing room
40. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Abdirahman Mahamud, Director, Health Emergency Alert & Response Operations, World Health Organization (WHO):
“So, I just want to assure that if we follow public health measures and the lessons we learned from Argentina now is shared across all the countries what needs to happen in contact tracing, isolation. We can break this chain of transmission, and this doesn't need to be a large epidemic.”
41. Wide shot, press briefing room
42. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, Director (a.i) Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, World Health Organization (WHO):
“So, what is happening currently right now on the ship? We have a WHO expert who is on board together with an ECDC expert. We have two Dutch infectious disease physicians who are on board. They have received protocols. They're asking questions related to the exposures of the people on board to really understand, you know, what type of contact do they have with any of the suspected cases or confirmed cases, and what did they generally do on the ship before they got on the ship, during on the ship, and then looking at what type of exposures and what type of risk that means.”
43. Wide shot, press briefing room
44. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, Director (a.i) Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, World Health Organization (WHO):
“With that risk assessment that's being done, there is a step-by-step plan that is being developed. And it's currently in developed with many different experts to be able to say, once that ship docks, what will happen as it goes on board? So that is currently being developed now. What is really critical is that people have the right information. This also includes people who disembarked in St. Helena, people who have been on board. If you are developing any symptoms, to present yourself to health care and just say, this might be potential exposure. Might be hantavirus, and then you'll be isolated and tested and provided care. So, what we're trying to do is take this in a in a staged approach.”
45. Wide shot, press briefing room
46. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, Director (a.i) Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, World Health Organization (WHO):
“But I do want to reiterate contextually what we're talking about. The risk to the general public is low.”
47. Wide shot, press briefing room
48. SOUNDBITE (English) Anaïs Legand, Technical Lead, Viral haemorrhagic fevers, World Health Organization (WHO):
“A step-by-step guidance is being developed to make sure that all passengers and crew members are supported throughout this journey. Don't forget what they've been through. And so, WHO is coordinating with national health authorities to streamline our recommendation and guidelines on that.”
49. Wide shot, press briefing room
“While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low,” a World Health Organization Director-General said about an outbreak of hantavirus onboard of a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Briefing reporters in Geneva today (07 May), Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “So far, eight cases have been reported, including three deaths. Five of the eight cases have been confirmed as hantavirus, and the other three are suspected.”
He added, “The species of hantavirus involved in this case is the Andes virus – which is found in Latin America and is the only species known to be capable of limited transmission between humans.”
The Director-General said, “None of the remaining passengers or crew on the ship are currently symptomatic.”
He added, “WHO is aware of reports of other people with symptoms who may have had contact with one of the passengers. In each case, we are in close contact with the relevant authorities. Given the incubation period for Andes virus, which can be up to six weeks, it's possible that more cases may be reported.”
On the ship's destination, the Director-General said, “On Monday, I asked Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain to accept the ship, which he agreed to do – and I thank Prime Minister Sanchez for his generosity, solidarity and meeting his moral duty.”
He added:, “The ship is now sailing for the Canary Islands. We are confident in the capacity of Spain to manage this risk, and we are supporting them to do so. Once again, we assess the risk to the people of the Canary Islands as low.”
Turning to the medical team on board, the Director-General said, “a WHO expert boarded the ship in Cabo Verde and has been joined by two doctors from the Netherlands and an expert from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, who will stay on the ship until it reaches the Canary Islands. They are conducting a medical assessment of everyone on board and gathering information to assess their risk of infection.”
Also addressing reporters, Director (a.i.) Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said, “We know onboard, they have taken some precautions, to try to minimize the risk. What they have advised onboard is disinfection of the rooms. They have confined people to their cabins and providing food and water. And they have asked as a precautionary measure for anyone leaving their room, excuse me, to wear a medical mask.”
Van Kerkhove added, “What we do know is that the Andes virus in previous outbreaks, there has been instances of human-to-human transmission, mainly among close contacts, either providing clinical care or people who have had close physical contact. And we believe that's happening and has happened in the case here on the ship as well between the couple, the first and second cases, and also a medical doctor providing care.”
She said, “This is not COVID. This is not influenza. It spreads very, very differently. So, there are different precautions that people are taking. So, we are supporting the ship's operators and the mitigation measures that they are putting on board.”
Director of Health Emergency Alert and Response Operations, Dr Abdirahman Mahamud said, “The situation, what makes it unique here, is similarity crowded in a confined space. We had a similar situation in Argentina in 2018-2019 when a symptomatic individual attended a social gathering. So that led to a lot of people getting infected. So, we are in a similar situation right now, a cluster in a confined space with close contact.”
Mahamud added, “So, I just want to assure that if we follow public health measures and the lessons we learned from Argentina now is shared across all the countries what needs to happen in contact tracing, isolation. We can break this chain of transmission, and this doesn't need to be a large epidemic.”
Turning to next steps, Van Kerkhove said, “What is really critical is that people have the right information. This also includes people who disembarked in St. Helena, people who have been on board. If you are developing any symptoms, to present yourself to health care and just say, this might be potential exposure. Might be hantavirus, and then you'll be isolated and tested and provided care.”
She concluded, “But I do want to reiterate contextually what we're talking about. The risk to the general public is low.”
