Cruise Ship with Hantavirus Outbreak Heads to Canary Islands… WHO Raises 'Possibility of Human-to-Human Transmission'

As a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak sets course for Spain's Canary Islands, the World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the possibility that human-to-human transmission may have occurred in this incident, putting health authorities on high alert.

According to the WHO and foreign media reports on the 5th (local time), two hantavirus infections have been confirmed on the cruise ship so far, with three deaths. The WHO stated, "Hantavirus, which is normally rarely transmitted between humans, may have spread in this case through human-to-human transmission."

The Spanish government is taking a cautious stance, declining to immediately decide on permitting the ship's entry into the Canary Islands and stating it will make a determination after infectious disease experts directly inspect the vessel. Quarantine procedures and disembarkation methods for passengers and crew are also expected to depend on the results of the expert assessment.

Hantavirus is primarily transmitted to humans through rodent excrement and can cause fatal symptoms such as pulmonary syndrome or hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Until now, the medical community has known human-to-human transmission of hantavirus to be extremely rare, with limited reports only in some South American strains.

The WHO's official mention of the possibility of human-to-human transmission in this cruise ship case could have significant implications for future disease control systems. Given that a large number of people have lived together for an extended period in the enclosed environment of a cruise ship, managing mass infections aboard vessels is once again emerging as a major challenge, reminiscent of the Diamond Princess case during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The exact number of passengers aboard the cruise ship and their distribution by nationality have not yet been disclosed, but quarantine and epidemiological investigations are expected to begin in earnest as soon as entry into the Canary Islands is approved.