Health Care

Hantavirus has not mutated to be more transmissible: WHO

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by Steph Whiteside - 05/15/26 9:15 PM ET

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by Steph Whiteside - 05/15/26 9:15 PM ET

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(NewsNation) — The World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday there is currently no evidence that the hantavirus that caused an outbreak on a cruise ship has mutated to be more severe or transmissible.

That news comes amid fears of a broader outbreak of the Andes hantavirus, which has no cure and can be fatal.

Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention at the WHO, said geneticists have been sequencing the virus that infected those on the ship.

“What they are telling me is, and what they have said, is that they haven’t identified any changes to suggest a change in the virus to make it more transmissible, more severe, anything like that,” Van Kerkove said.

Following an outbreak on a cruise ship, which killed three people, other passengers who have disembarked the ship are being monitored and quarantined to prevent the spread of the virus.

U.S. passengers were taken to the National Quarantine Center in Nebraska, where they had the option to stay in the facility under quarantine or return home for monitoring.

WHO officials said quarantines and monitoring are being done out of an abundance of caution to prevent the spread of the Andes hantavirus, which can be transmitted between people.

“So we are taking a precautionary approach, assuming that there might be additional cases that were on board, which is why the quarantine measures are so strict for those who have left the ship already,” Van Kerkhove said.

The WHO recommends that those who were on the ship quarantine for 42 days to avoid potentially spreading hantavirus.

It emphasizes that the overall risk to the public remains low.

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