Source: Radio New Zealand (world)
By Bhanvi Satija for Reuters A placard reading “Bio hazard zone” outside the Hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius at the port of Rotterdam.
Photo: AFP / NICOLAS TUCAT • Favipiravir delivered from Japan to UK for experimental hantavirus treatment, UKHSA confirms • Drug use is experimental, with limited evidence and no established protocol, experts note • No details disclosed on quantity of favipiravir doses received from Japan • WHO says outbreak involves Andes virus, no signs of increased transmissibility or pandemic risk Britain has received supplies of the antiviral drug favipiravir from Japan as part of its response to a deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the Hondius cruise liner, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says.
UKHSA said it accepted delivery of the drug, which remains experimental for use to treat hantavirus, over the weekend and that the supplies would bolster treatment stocks, even though the risk of wider transmission in the UK remained very low.
Neither the UKHSA nor Japanese authorities disclosed details about the number of doses supplied to Britain. The luxury liner at the centre of the outbreak docked at the Dutch port of Rotterdam on Monday, where authorities disembarked crew members and medical staff.
Three people have died from eight confirmed cases and two probable cases linked to the ship. There is no specific therapy for hantavirus, which is primarily spread by rodents but can be transmitted between people in rare cases and after prolonged, close contact.
Treatment usually focuses on supportive care such as rest and fluids, while some patients may need breathing support. In Japan, favipiravir is sold under the brand name Avigan by a unit of Fujifilm as an emergency medication for novel or re-emerging flu.
The drug, which works by blocking a key enzyme that many viruses need to multiply, is not licensed for use in the United Kingdom.
Use of favipiravir in hantavirus would generally be considered experimental or compassionate rather than standard care, and most likely to treat severe infection early on, said Piet Maes, a virologist at the University of Brussels.
Maes said evidence so far comes only from lab and animal studies, with no strong human trial data showing the drug works against hantavirus. There is no internationally established clinical protocol recommending its routine use for hantavirus.
The outbreak involves the rarer type of hantavirus called the Andes virus, which is the only strain known to spread between people, though typically only after close and prolonged contact. World Health Organization officials said they have not identified changes that would make the virus more transmissible or severe, and that the outbreak does not pose a pandemic threat.
Copyright © 2026, Radio New Zealand • Hantavirus-hit cruise ship nears end of voyage, to dock in Rotterdam 18 May 2026 The MV Hondius is due to dock in the Netherlands Monday night (NZ time) where its 25 crew will disembark.
Hantavirus-hit cruise ship nears end of voyage, to dock in Rotterdam Hantavirus-hit cruise ship nears end of voyage, to dock in Rotterdam The MV Hondius is due to dock in the Netherlands Monday night (NZ time) where its 25 crew will disembark. • Canadian tests positive for hantavirus after leaving cruise 17 May 2026 The individual was tested at a hospital on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, after developing mild symptoms – one of four Canadians isolating on the island after leaving the MV Hondius.
One Canadian tests positive for hantavirus, British Columbia officials say Canadian tests positive for hantavirus after leaving cruise The individual was tested at a hospital on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, after developing mild symptoms – one of four Canadians isolating on the island after leaving the MV Hondius. • Kiwi onboard hantavirus-hit cruise ship tests negative, isolating in Taiwan 15 May 2026 The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control says the passenger entered Taiwan on 7 May and has reported no health issues.
Kiwi onboard hantavirus-hit cruise ship tests negative, isolating in Taiwan Kiwi onboard hantavirus-hit cruise ship tests negative, isolating in Taiwan The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control says the passenger entered Taiwan on 7 May and has reported no health issues. • Hantavirus cruise passengers arrive in Australia 15 May 2026 A flight carrying a New Zealander on board the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship has landed in an air force base in Perth.
Flight with Australians and New Zealand passengers from hantavirus cruise ship arrives in Perth Hantavirus cruise passengers arrive in Australia A flight carrying a New Zealander on board the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship has landed in an air force base in Perth. • Kiwi onboard hantavirus-hit ship doesn’t usually live in NZ 13 May 2026 One New Zealand citizen left the ship before the outbreak was revealed, while another disembarked on Monday and is now being quarantined in Australia.
Kiwi onboard hantavirus-hit cruise ship doesn’t usually live in New Zealand Kiwi onboard hantavirus-hit ship doesn’t usually live in NZ One New Zealand citizen left the ship before the outbreak was revealed, while another disembarked on Monday and is now being quarantined in Australia. • How worried should we be about the hantavirus?
11 May 2026 Explainer – The internet is filling with panic, but could it really be another Covid-19? Here’s what we know so far. Video, Audio What exactly is the hantavirus outbreak and how worried should we be?
How worried should we be about the hantavirus? Explainer – The internet is filling with panic, but could it really be another Covid-19? Here’s what we know so far.
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