The World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that the hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship near Cape Verde’s coast does not pose a risk of a new large-scale pandemic like COVID-19 because it rarely spreads from person to person, though close surveillance is still required.
On 7 May 2026, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s Director of Pandemic Preparedness, said during a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, that the hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship near Cape Verde is not a new “COVID-19-type” pandemic but a serious infectious disease. She emphasized that human-to-human transmission remains rare, and authorities are currently implementing maximum preventive measures to control the situation.
WHO disclosed that so far, two hantavirus patients and one suspected case have been evacuated from the cruise ship to the Netherlands for treatment. Meanwhile, the ship remains afloat off the coast of Cape Verde with nearly 150 passengers and crew onboard, awaiting further travel to Spain’s Canary Islands. One deceased person remains on the ship. WHO noted that hantavirus outbreaks have not been previously reported on cruise ships, making this incident closely monitored by global health agencies.