Iraqi health ministry says no hantavirus cases recorded as outbreak triggers global concern

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Ministry of Health said Sunday it has not recorded any hantavirus cases in the country and has activated precautionary measures, as a deadly outbreak linked to a cruise ship in the Atlantic prompted health authorities worldwide to issue public reassurances.

Ministry spokesperson Saif al-Badr said the ministry had strengthened its epidemiological surveillance system, circulated a scientific bulletin on the disease to health departments and medical institutions, and reinforced infection-control procedures and public awareness campaigns on transmission and prevention.

“Hantavirus is a zoonotic virus naturally carried by rodents and may sometimes be transmitted to humans, causing diseases that can be severe depending on the type of virus and the geographical region,” Badr said, adding that the WHO assesses the global risk from the current event as low.

The outbreak is linked to the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, which departed Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1 carrying 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries. Eight cases have been confirmed or suspected as of May 8, including three deaths, with the Andes strain of hantavirus identified as the cause. The WHO formally identified the cluster as an outbreak on May 4, and the CDC deployed a team to meet the vessel in the Canary Islands. International contact tracing is ongoing across multiple countries.

Unlike most hantavirus strains, which are not transmitted between people, the Andes virus has been linked to rare person-to-person transmission through very close contact. WHO and CDC have both said the risk of a broader outbreak is low and that the virus poses no pandemic threat comparable to COVID-19.