WHO Issues 4th Official Disease Outbreak Report on Cruise Variant as Total Cases Reach 13

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially published its fourth comprehensive Disease Outbreak News (DON) report regarding the multi-country Andes hantavirus (ANDV) cluster. As of May 28, 2026, the global metrics have adjusted to a total of 13 cases (11 laboratory-confirmed and 2 probable), while the total death toll remains stable at 3, reflecting a case fatality ratio (CFR) of 23%. According to the official report, the net increase accounts for three late-onset confirmed cases from Canada, the Netherlands, and Spain, which were successfully identified through routine weekly testing of quarantined high-risk individuals. Concurrently, a previously suspected case in the United States has been definitively ruled out after final negative laboratory assessments. Epidemiological data shows that over 600 close contacts (53% high-risk and 47% low-risk) are now being actively monitored across 32 countries and territories. In parallel, the European Commission confirmed that an emergency supply of 1,400 tablets of the antiviral drug Favipiravir has been flown in from Japan and distributed to hospitals in France, Spain, and the Netherlands to support severe clinical cases on a compassionate-use basis.