President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday that he has been briefed on the recent hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship and declared the situation “very much under control.” The president’s assurance comes as global health authorities confirm multiple deaths linked to the rare virus.
“We have a lot of people, a lot of great people, studying it,” Trump said. “It should be fine, we hope.”
Three individuals from the ship have died from suspected hantavirus infection, and laboratory testing has confirmed five of eight suspected cases, according to the World Health Organization. The confirmed cases involve the Andes virus, the only hantavirus species “known to be capable of limited transmission between humans,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a Thursday briefing.
The virus typically spreads through contact with infected rodents. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. There is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for hantavirus, but early medical care “improves outcomes,” WHO officials noted.
The cruise ship departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1. The remaining 140 passengers and crew are now en route to Spain’s Canary Islands. Oceanwide Expeditions, the cruise operator, confirmed in an update Thursday that none of those currently aboard have reported symptoms.
WHO announced Wednesday that three people were evacuated from the vessel and transported to the Netherlands for medical care. Two are in “stable condition” at a Dutch hospital, and one asymptomatic individual is now in Germany. Two other patients are receiving treatment in South Africa and Switzerland.
Both WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasized Thursday that the public health risk remains low and that this outbreak is not comparable to COVID-19. The CDC said it is “closely monitoring the situation,” adding that “our top priority remains the health and safety of all U.S. passengers.”
The State Department is coordinating a whole-of-government response, including direct contact with passengers and engagement with international health authorities. The episode has drawn comparisons to past cruise ship outbreaks, though officials stress the limited transmissibility of the Andes virus. For more on the broader implications, read about Trump's Iran peace plan sparking fury among conservative allies and the administration's proposal to lift the USPS ban on handgun shipments.
As the ship continues its journey, health authorities remain focused on containing the outbreak and preventing further spread. The WHO reiterated that while the risk is low, vigilance is necessary given the virus’s potential for limited human-to-human transmission.
