WHO announces hantavirus outbreak over

World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Thursday that the recent hantavirus outbreak has officially been declared over.

The announcement came after the last identified contact of an infected passenger from the cruise ship MV *Hondius* completed quarantine and tested negative for the virus.

Speaking at a media briefing, Ghebreyesus said no new cases had been reported since May 25, allowing WHO to conclude that the outbreak had ended. In total, the outbreak resulted in 13 confirmed infections and three deaths. More than 650 contacts across 33 countries and territories were traced and monitored during the response.

Although the outbreak has been contained, Ghebreyesus said WHO will continue working with governments and research partners to improve understanding of hantavirus. He noted that the organisation is coordinating a multinational study involving 21 countries to examine how the disease progresses and to support the development of better diagnostic tools, treatments and vaccines.

Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghebreyesus said the Ebola outbreak continues to worsen, with an average of 38 new confirmed cases reported daily over the past two weeks. The country has now recorded 1,406 confirmed infections and 438 deaths.

He said WHO has expanded its response by increasing laboratory testing capacity to 10 facilities and strengthening contact tracing, with around 80 per cent of identified contacts now under monitoring.

Treatment services have also been enhanced, with approximately 650 beds available across 22 health centres. In addition, clinical trials of two experimental Ebola treatments have begun, and WHO has granted emergency use listing for the first molecular diagnostic test for the Bundibugyo virus.

Ghebreyesus also highlighted the humanitarian impact of recent earthquakes in Venezuela, which killed 2,300 people, injured 5,000 and left nearly 16,000 homeless. He said WHO had released $1.5 million in emergency funding and delivered over six metric tonnes of medical supplies, with additional aid expected in the coming days.