RxData Insights

11/05/2026

11/05/2026

Where did the hantavirus outbreak start, and where has it spread?

11/05/2026

As countries strengthen vigilance around emerging health threats, WHO/AFRO and Africa CDC are convening a joint technical briefing on to support Member States in strengthening preparedness and response.

Date: Tuesday, 12 May 2026
Time: 9:00–10:30 GMT+1
Register: http://tiny.cc/Hantavirus
Interpretation available in English | French | Portuguese | Arabic

The session will provide technical updates and practical guidance on surveillance, risk assessment, preparedness and coordinated response measures, while creating a platform for countries and partners to exchange expertise and lessons from the ongoing public health event.

This webinar is designed for Ministries of Health, epidemiologists and surveillance teams, IHR focal points, outbreak responders, laboratory specialists, clinicians, One Health actors, academic institutions, NGOs and partners working to strengthen health security across Africa.

11/05/2026

BREAKING UPDATE | HANTAVIRUS OUTBREAK 2026.

France has just confirmed its FIRST Hantavirus case on French soil — a woman repatriated from the MV Hondius cruise ship and now isolated at Bichat Hospital in Paris.

This is a major escalation:

~5 French nationals were evacuated together. 1 tested POSITIVE, 4 are negative but remain in strict isolation and daily testing.

~France has issued a government decree: anyone with possible exposure MUST report to authorities — isolation is now a legal requirement, not voluntary.

~A second confirmed case has emerged among US passengers — now in biocontainment at University of Nebraska Medical Center.

~More than 90 passengers from over 20 countries were on board MV Hondius. The ship carried the Andes strain, which can spread human-to-human.

Patients are being treated in specialist hospitals with controlled airflow and advanced containment — the same level used for high-risk pathogens. What started as an evacuation off Tenerife is now a live, multi-continental health response with confirmed cases in at least two countries and counting.

This is NOT COVID, but World Health Organization (WHO) warns monitoring must continue for 42 days because symptoms can take weeks to appear.
Stay alert. Stay informed.

Follow for live updates, share this and comment below.



Video Source: France 24 English via Youtube

https://champ.ly/Ski11r3g

A French woman repatriated from a cruise ship struck by hantavirus has tested positive with the rare disease, France's health minister said Monday, in the co...

11/05/2026

BREAKING: Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship MV Hondius — 23 Nations Now Involved.

This is NOT a drill. What started off Tenerife has turned into the first ship-borne hantavirus response in history — and it's still unfolding.

WHAT WE KNOW:

🔴 3 passengers dead, 5+ seriously ill since early April aboard the Dutch expedition ship MV Hondius.

🔴 147 people from 23 nationalities on board, now being evacuated in coordinated military flights.

🔴 Andes strain confirmed — the ONLY hantavirus variant known to spread human-to-human with close contact.

🔴 22 British nationals flown to Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral for 72-hour assessment, then up to 45-day monitoring.

🔴 French, American, German and Japanese passengers isolated mid-repatriation after symptoms appeared post-disembarkation.

🔴 Ship now anchored at Granadilla, Tenerife; crew sailing on to Rotterdam for decontamination.

WHY THIS MATTERS:

This is a stress-test for global health security. Hantavirus usually spreads from rodents — not people. The Andes strain changes the math, and cruise travel compresses the timeline.

World Health Organization (WHO) officials are on site. Risk to the general public remains low, but the 42-day quarantine window exists for a reason: incubation can be long, and early symptoms look like flu.

Follow for live updates — we’re tracking WHO briefings, test results, and quarantine protocols daily.

Full breakdown of what the Andes strain means, why 42 days, and what this reveals about cruise biosecurity is the link in the first comment.

11/05/2026

Hantavirus Outbreak Forces MASSIVE Cruise Evacuation Off Tenerife.

Passengers on the MS Hondius are being evacuated RIGHT NOW off the Canary Islands after a confirmed Hantavirus case onboard.

This is developing fast — here's what we know:
✅ No symptoms yet: WHO confirms all passengers remain asymptomatic at this time.
🌍 23 nations involved: Spanish Health Minister Mónica García calls it an unprecedented international operation.
🚌 Zero-contact evacuation: Military "bubble buses" moving passengers straight from ship → airport → home countries.
✈️ Repatriation underway: UK passengers to Arrow Park Hospital for observation, Spanish nationals to Madrid military hospital for quarantine.

This is the first large-scale cruise response since COVID, and health officials say border protocols are being tested in real time.

👉 SHARE this update — someone you know may have family onboard.

🔔 FOLLOW for live updates as the operation continues through today



Video Source: BBC News via Youtube

https://champ.ly/dqsgaJ3v

Spain has started evacuating passengers from a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship anchored near Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Health Minister Mónica García sa...

11/05/2026

11/05/2026

11/05/2026

I just spoke with Dr Freddy Banza, the World Health Organization (WHO) staff still on board of MV Hondius, and captain Jan Dobrogowski to get the latest updates. I used the opportunity to express my appreciation European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control - ECDC and the Dutch medical teams on board.

Last Tuesday, Freddy was deployed from the World Health Organization African Region Emergency Hub on short notice to travel to Praia, Cabo Verde, following the request to conduct detailed epidemiological and environmental investigations before the ship could disembark. He immediately committed to serve on this mission.

This is not the first major WHO operation Freddy has actively participated in. Since 2012, he has supported several Ebola responses in the region, served as the deputy regional incident manager for COVID-19, and as the incident manager for cholera in the DRC.