THE OUTBREAK OF Hantavirus that took hold on a cruise ship earlier this year has officially ended, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

At a media briefing today, WHO director general Tedros Ghebreyesus said the final contact of a person exposed to the virus on the MV Hondius had completed their quarantine period, tested negative and returned home.

“No further cases have been reported since the 25 May,” Ghebreyesus said.

“We are therefore very pleased to say that WHO considers the outbreak of hantavirus over.”

There were a total of 13 cases of the virus that came from the cruise ship outbreak, including three deaths. 

Today, the final contact of a person exposed to #hantavirus on the cruise ship MV Hondius completed their quarantine period, tested negative and returned home. No further cases have been reported since the 25th of May. Therefore, @WHO considers the hantavirus outbreak over. pic.twitter.com/ePQnylyo0k

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) July 2, 2026

Ghebreyesus said that more than 650 contacts were identified and followed up by health authorities in 33 countries and territories and he thanked all the governments who had cooperated with the WHO.

“Although the outbreak is over, WHO will continue working with governments and partners to advance our understanding of this outbreak and of hantavirus more generally,” he said.

The director general also covered the latest outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which he said is expanding, as well as the recent discovery of a case of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in Uganda.

Like Ebola and Hantavirus, MVD is a haemorrhagic fever. It has a 50% fatality rate. 

“The outbreaks of hantavirus, Ebola and Marburg all show why there is no alternative to international cooperation in the face of international threats. No country alone can fight,” Ghebreyesus said.