Could Hantavirus turn into a new pandemic?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that the hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship does not signify a new global pandemic. WHO officials have announced that the virus’s transmission route is different from COVID-19 and that the risk remains at a low level.
elchi reports that Maria van Kerkhove, the WHO’s infectious disease expert, stated that hantavirus is not transmitted through the air like COVID-19, but rather through “close and prolonged contact.” Van Kerkhove emphasized that the situation is completely different from the onset of COVID-19 six years ago.
Three people have died
In the outbreak that occurred on the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius, sailing under the Dutch flag, five out of eight suspected cases have been confirmed so far.
In total, three people have died due to the virus: a 69-year-old Dutch woman, her husband, and a German citizen.
While investigations into the cases are ongoing, it has been reported that this outbreak marks the first time human-to-human transmission of the virus has been documented.
Contacts are being tracked
It was announced that there were approximately 150 passengers and crew members on the ship, which departed from Argentina on April 1 and was expected to reach the Canary Islands in Spain on May 10.
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus stated that the first people infected with the virus might have contracted it during a bird-watching tour they attended in South America.
Due to the incubation period of the disease, which can last up to six weeks, a warning was issued that new cases could be observed.

Evacuation and quarantine process has begun
International efforts have been launched to track 29 passengers who previously left the ship on Saint Helena Island. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) stated that some passengers returning to the country have self-isolated.
On the other hand, Spanish authorities announced that they were in negotiations with London and Washington to evacuate British and American citizens by private planes once the ship reaches the island of Tenerife.