Hantavirus: How it differs from COVID
Key takeaways
- In 2018-2019, the Andes virus hantavirus spread person-to-person in Argentina.
- "I know you are worried," wrote Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), in a letter to the people of Tenerife, Spain, on May 9, 2026.
- The cruise ship MV Hondius — on which hantavirus spread and killed three people and infected others from April to May — was about to dock at Tenerife's Granadilla Port.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
In 2018-2019, the Andes virus hantavirus spread person-to-person in Argentina. Eleven people died — but it was stopped. Analysis of that outbreak shows the current one can also be stopped.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Db3GIt took more than three weeks after the first death for hantavirus to be confirmed on the MV Hondius Image: Hannah Mc Kay/REUTERSAdvertisement With memories of the COVID pandemic still fresh in many people's minds, it's understandable that communities are worried about hantavirus spreading internationally.
"I know you are worried," wrote Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), in a letter to the people of Tenerife, Spain, on May 9, 2026.