WHO says cruise ship hantavirus outbreak ‘not the start of a pandemic’

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The World Health Organization has stated that an outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship does not signify the beginning of a pandemic. Officials clarified that the situation is not comparable to the Covid crisis, aiming to alleviate public concern over the outbreak.

The World Health Organization insisted on Thursday that a deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic did not mark the beginning of a Covid-like crisis. “This is not the start of an epidemic. This is not the start of a pandemic,” WHO epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director Maria Van Kerkhove told reporters, insisting: “This is not Covid.” The WHO also said it expected the outbreak on the MV Hondius, currently sailing from Cabo Verde (formerly known as Cape...