GENEVA, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Five of the eight cases reported from the cruise ship MV Hondius were confirmed as hantavirus infection, said World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday.

Health workers in protective gear evacuate patients from the MV Hondius cruise ship at a port in Praia, Cape Verde, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo: AP)

Tedros told a press conference that the other three are suspected cases.

Tedros noted that more cases may be reported given the incubation period of the Andes virus, a hantavirus strain found in South America, but WHO assesses the public risk as low.