WHO head tells countries to prepare for more hantavirus cases

Health officials in Paris say French woman who contracted disease on MV Hondius is on ventilator in intensive care

 Boats approach the Dutch flagged hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius after it arrived at the industrial port of Granadilla de Abona on the island of Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands on May 10, 2026. Picture: JORGE GUERRERO / AFP via Getty Images

The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has told countries to prepare for more hantavirus cases as authorities in Paris said a French woman who contracted the virus onboard the MV Hondius had the most severe form of the disease and had been put on a ventilator.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus thanked Spain for the “compassion and solidarity” it had shown by taking in the stricken cruise ship and urged authorities to follow the WHO’s advice and recommendations, which include a 42-day quarantine and constant monitoring of high-risk contacts.