The World Health Organization said the hantavirus outbreak is not the start of another pandemic.
During a news briefing, Maria Van Kerkhove said the situation is different from COVID-19.
Van Kerkhove said hantavirus spreads through “close, intimate contact.”
Authorities are currently tracing dozens of people who disembarked from the Dutch vessel MV Hondius, where a hantavirus outbreak was reported.
Reports said around 150 passengers and crew members from 28 countries had disembarked from the vessel, with dozens leaving on the island of Saint Helena on April 24.
According to the WHO, hantavirus usually spreads through rats, but human-to-human transmission was documented for the first time in the latest outbreak.
Data from the UN health agency showed that five of the eight suspected hantavirus cases have been confirmed, while three infected individuals have died.
In the briefing, Van Kerkhove stressed that hantavirus is “not COVID, this is not influenza,” adding that it “spreads very, very differently.”
The WHO epidemiologist advised everyone aboard the vessel to wear face masks, while those caring for suspected hantavirus patients should “wear a higher level of personal protective equipment.”
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sought to ease fears of another pandemic, saying the broader public health risk from hantavirus remains low.
He added that the WHO is aware of reports involving other patients, noting that more cases could emerge because the virus has an incubation period of up to six weeks.
The WHO also said health officials are coordinating with authorities to monitor passengers from the vessel. — Photo from Better World Campaign
