Swiss authorities have confirmed a case of #hantavirus identified in a passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship who presented to hospital in Zurich. The patient is currently receiving care at a hospital in Zurich, #Switzerland.
The patient had responded to an email from the ship’s operator informing the passengers of the health event.
In line with the International Health Regulations (IHR), @WHO is working with relevant countries to support international contact tracing, to ensure that those potentially exposed are monitored and that any further disease spread is limited.
The virus was confirmed as the Andes virus, a type of hantavirus found in South America, by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, South Africa and the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Switzerland. The support of the Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal and the Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud (ANLIS), Argentina has also been critical in responding to this event.
As of 6 May, there are 8 cases, 3 of whom are confirmed as hantavirus by laboratory testing.
WHO will continue to work with countries to ensure that the patients, contacts, passengers and crew have the information and support they need to stay safe and prevent spread.