There is no evidence the World Health Organization has said cruise-linked hantavirus cases are spreading rapidly, contradicting online posts suggesting the opposite.
"BREAKING: World Health Organization says hantavirus is spreading very fast across the world," said a May 9 post on X, opens new tab.
The narrative also spread to Facebook, opens new tab.
However, there is no record of WHO saying Andes hantavirus cases linked to the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius cruise ship are spreading quickly across the globe.
"At the moment, there is no sign we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference on May 12, opens new tab. "But, of course, the situation could change and given the long incubation period of the virus we might see more cases in the coming weeks."
Tedros said at a briefing on May 7, opens new tab that there were five confirmed cases of Andes hantavirus related to the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius cruise ship. By May 12, the number of confirmed infections had increased to nine.
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses which can cause serious illnesses and death, said a webpage, opens new tab of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Globally, there are between 10,000 and more than 100,000 hantavirus cases a year, the WHO said in an online factsheet., opens new tab The Andes strain is the only hantavirus known to spread between people and transmission is uncommon, typically requiring close and prolonged contact. Symptoms can appear between one and eight weeks after exposure.
The WHO did not respond to a request for comment.
VERDICT
No evidence. There is no record of the WHO saying cruise-linked hantavirus cases are spreading rapidly across the world.
