The World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially declared the recent Hantavirus outbreak over.
The declaration was made after the final person exposed aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius completed quarantine, tested negative, and returned home.
Speaking during an online briefing on Thursday, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus said that no new infections have been recorded since May 25, marking the end of the international public health response to the outbreak.
According to him, the outbreak resulted in a total of 13 confirmed cases and three deaths.
“Health authorities successfully identified and monitored more than 650 contacts across 33 countries and territories, helping to prevent further transmission through coordinated international surveillance and quarantine measures,” he said
The WHO, however, noted that although it had declared the outbreak over, scientific investigations would continue.
“The organisation is working with governments and research partners to improve understanding of Hantavirus transmission and disease progression in preparation for future outbreaks.
“WHO is also coordinating a multinational study involving 21 countries to examine how Hantavirus develops in infected patients.
“Findings from the study are expected to support the development of improved diagnostic tests, treatments, and vaccines,” he said.
While celebrating the end of one outbreak, the director-general warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continued to worsen.
“The country has recorded an average of 38 new confirmed Ebola cases each day over the past two weeks, reflecting sustained community transmission.
“As of July 2, DRC had confirmed 1,406 Ebola cases, including 438 deaths.
“The outbreak remains one of the most challenging public health emergencies currently facing the region,” he said.
According to him, the response has nevertheless expanded significantly.
“Testing capacity has increased to 10 laboratories located closer to affected communities, allowing faster diagnosis and more efficient public health interventions.
“Contact tracing has also improved, with approximately four out of every five identified contacts now being monitored,” he said.
Mr Ghebreyesus noted that more contacts still needed to be identified for each confirmed case to effectively interrupt transmission chains.
He said that treatment capacity has grown to about 650 beds across 22 health centres, although roughly 96 per cent of available beds are already occupied.
“WHO and its partners are working to establish an additional 300 treatment beds to meet rising demand,” he said.
He said another major milestone was the enrolment of the first patient in the PARTNERS clinical trial assessing the effectiveness of the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral drug Remdesivir, administered individually and in combination.
He said the study was coordinated by DRC’s National Institute for Biomedical Research with the WHO and international partners.
“Patients participating in the clinical trial will receive comprehensive supportive medical care and close monitoring.
“WHO also pledged to ensure broader access to the medicines should they prove safe and effective during the study.
“WHO further announced the emergency use listing of the first molecular diagnostic test specifically designed to detect Bundibugyo virus, representing another step forward in strengthening outbreak preparedness and laboratory capacity,” he said.
He, however, said that despite these advances, the Ebola response continued to face serious obstacles, particularly insecurity and mistrust.
According to him, an Ebola treatment centre in Ituri Province was recently attacked, leaving two people dead, forcing patients to flee, and destroying parts of the facility.
He condemned the violence, stressing that attacks on health facilities endanger patients and frontline workers while undermining efforts to control disease transmission and save lives.
“To strengthen coordination, the WHO and the United Nations have appointed Julien Harneis as senior Ebola coordinator following a joint endorsement by the WHO director-general and the UN emergency relief coordinator, Tom Fletcher,” he said.
Mr Ghebreyesus also reported encouraging developments in Uganda, where no new Ebola cases have been recorded since June 21.
“However, authorities have confirmed a case of Marburg virus disease in Kyegegwa District, detected through enhanced Ebola surveillance.
“Health officials are monitoring all identified contacts, none of whom have developed symptoms so far,” he said.
He said the concurrent outbreaks of Hantavirus, Ebola and Marburg highlighted the need for stronger international collaboration in tackling global health emergencies.
He noted that WHO member states would resume negotiations next week on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system under the WHO Pandemic Agreement, expressing confidence that countries remain committed to reaching consensus.
“WHO expressed concern over the devastating earthquake in Venezuela, where more than 2,300 people have died, more than 5,000 have been injured, and nearly 16,000 have been left homeless.
“WHO has released 1.5 million dollars from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies and dispatched more than six metric tons of emergency medical supplies, with an additional 28 metric tons expected shortly.
“The organisation also highlighted air pollution as a persistent global health crisis that receives far less attention than disease outbreaks or natural disasters,” he said.
According to him, the new WHO data indicate that 6.5 billion people remain exposed to dangerous levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), contributing to an estimated 6.7 million premature deaths annually.
He said the greatest burden falls on low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan and Northern Africa.
Also, he drew attention to the growing health risks posed by digital environments to children and young people.
He called for stronger regulation of social media platforms, warning that addictive platform designs, harmful online content, misinformation, and extensive data collection threaten children’s mental health, privacy, and overall well-being.
(NAN)
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