An infectious disease specialist is weighing in as fears grow over hantavirus and whether the deadly virus could trigger a global pandemic following an outbreak aboard an expedition ship.

Hantavirus has drawn global attention in recent weeks after several passengers onboard the MV Hondius fell ill during the voyage, with three people dying and another eight suspected cases.

The outbreak has raised alarm partly because the strain involved – known as the Andes virus – is one of the few forms of hantavirus that can spread “by other infected people,” the World Health Organization (WHO) reports.

The disease also returned to headlines earlier this year after hantavirus was identified as the cause of death for Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, in February 2025, renewing public concern over how dangerous the virus could become.

Ship stopped at several ports
As health officials continue tracking passengers from the ship, concerns have also grown over how far possible exposure may have spread during the voyage.

According to CBC, the MV Hondius departed Argentina on April 1 before traveling through the Sandwich Islands, Tristan da Cunha, St Helena, Ascension Island, and Cape Verde.

The first confirmed hantavirus case onboard was identified on May 2 – a Dutch couple died the month before, one confirmed positive – while the ship was heading toward Cape Verde.

Because passengers disembarked at several ports throughout the journey, experts believe additional cases could still surface in different countries in the coming weeks.

Even so, health officials stress the situation is very different from the early days of COVID-19, despite growing comparisons online.

‘Not the start of a COVID pandemic’
Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemic expert with the WHO, pushed back on fears that the outbreak could spiral into another worldwide crisis.

“This is not coronavirus, this is a very difference virus,” Van Kerkhove said in an update, per C-SPAN. “I want to be unequivocal here. This is not SARS-CoV-2. This is not the start of a COVID pandemic. This is an outbreak that we see on a ship.”

U.S. health officials have also attempted to reassure the public. Jay Bhattacharya from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the overall risk remains “very low.”

“We understand that people are concerned and looking for information,” he shared in a social media post. “Hantavirus is not spread by people without symptoms, transmission requires close contact, and the risk to the American public is very low.”

Expert says outbreak likely to stay contained
In an interview with UNILAD, infectious disease specialist and global health researcher Dr. Alexandra Wharton-Smith said she does not believe the outbreak is likely to evolve into a worldwide pandemic.

“I am optimistic that this will not become a global pandemic, as the evidence we have so far on the Andes strain historically is that it stays relatively contained and the human-to-human transmission has mostly only been through close and prolonged contact with infected people,” the doctor explained.

“The current outbreak is being closely monitored to prevent further spread and there have not been many confirmed cases so far. The contacts of those cases are being traced to ensure we can stop any further spread.”

She also stressed that hantaviruses are “much less infectious than other viruses like influenza, measles or COVID-19,” and have “a shorter period that people can infect others, although the incubation period (time it can take from exposure to the virus to illness) is quite long – possibly up to 6-8 weeks.”

People contained to prevent spread
While additional infections may still appear because of the ship’s international route, Dr. Wharton-Smith said the current response has helped keep the outbreak under control.

“The confirmed cases and those who have fallen ill, so far, seem to be well contained to prevent it spreading to more people,” she explained.

“Healthcare workers are well equipped to practice good infection prevention and control and from our experience with COVID-19, governments know which measures to put in place to stop the cases from increasing if and when cases do occur.”

Her advice: Don’t panic
As attention surrounding the virus continues to grow online, Dr. Wharton-Smith encouraged people not to panic and instead rely on trusted health guidance.

“My advice for now is not to worry, stay up to date with the news from reliable sources and carry on as normal,” she said.

She also explained why health officials believe the current risk remains low for most people.

“The WHO and national health authorities are closely tracking anyone with exposure to cases from the cruise ship and monitoring them to prevent the virus from spreading further.”

“Hantavirus is transmitted through exposure to infected rodents and their fluids and/or droppings. With the Andes strain of hantavirus, human-to-human transmission is possible through close contact and fluids of infected people, but currently there are only a handful of cases and they are being closely tracked and receiving care.”

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