Health News

(NEW YORK) -- Health experts tell ABC News that the current science behind the hantavirus that circulated throughout the MV Hondius does not show the same levels of transmission as with COVID-19, while acknowledging that the scenario may seem similar to the beginning of the 2020 pandemic."Our current understanding is that person-to-person transmission of Andes virus is relatively rare and generally associated with prolonged close contact," the current Centers for Disease Control […]

Healthcare workers walk outside the Ebola treatment centre in Beni, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. (2019). (Photo by Sally Hayden/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) (NEW YORK) - An Ebola outbreak has been confirmed in the Ituri province in Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.As of the latest update, about 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths have been reported, mainly in Mongwalu […]

(WASHINGTON) -- Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary intends to resign on Tuesday, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.His departure was in the works after he clashed publicly with lawmakers, major pharmaceutical companies and President Donald Trump himself. He was scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.Makary, who is a surgeon by training, gained notoriety during the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing against masks for children and […]

(LONDON) -- An epidemiologist from the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that the suspected hantavirus cluster aboard a cruise ship is not the beginning of another COVID-19 pandemic.Eight cases are currently being reported by the WHO, including five laboratory-confirmed cases and three suspected cases. Of those eight cases, three have died.Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist and acting director of epidemic and pandemic management at the WHO, […]

(LONDON and BELGRADE, Serbia) -- The total number of suspected hantavirus cases aboard a cruise ship has risen to five as global health authorities work to contain a potentially deadly cluster of the disease.More than 100 passengers remain on the ship and the World Health Organization (WHO) is monitoring their health. Officials said that the "overall public health risk remains low" but that there may be some person-to-person spread.The ship, […]

(LONDON and BELGRADE, Serbia) -- Three people have been evacuated off of the MV Hondius, a cruise ship with a suspected hantavirus cluster, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.WHO officials in Cape Verde told ABC News that the patients were to be transferred to ambulances waiting on the shore to receive them. The three were then to be taken to an airport, where they were expected to board a […]

(NEW YORK) -- An epidemiologist at the World Health Organization (WHO) said that there may be some person-to-person spread in the suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship.As of Monday, there have been seven cases reported aboard the MV Hondius, of which two are laboratory-confirmed and five are suspected. Among those seven, there have been three deaths, including a married couple from the Netherlands, one of whom has been confirmed to have […]

(NEW YORK) -- A rare rodent-borne disease may be behind an outbreak aboard a cruise ship.The World Health Organization (WHO) says there has been one laboratory confirmed case and five suspected cases. Of those six people, three have died.The deaths occurred between April 11 and May 2 and the variant of hantavirus identified in at least one patient who is currently in intensive care, according to the WHO.The WHO ⁠said on […]

(NEW YORK) -- A rare rodent-borne disease is suspected to have caused an outbreak aboard a cruise ship, leading to three deaths and several illnesses.The deaths occurred between April 11 and May 2 with a variant of hantavirus identified in at least one patient.The World Health Organization ⁠said on Monday that investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testingThis is a developing story. Please check back for updates Copyright © 2026, […]