Irish people should not worry about Hantavirus, as health authorities are acting out of an “abundance of caution”, an infectious diseases expert has said.
Late last night, two Irish nationals who were onboard the cruise ship hit by Hantavirus touched down at Baldonnel Airport in Dublin.
Three people died on the MV Hondius but the Irish passengers are understood to be in good health.
They will now undergo 45 days of isolation, in line with guidance from the World Health Organisation.
“This is what quarantine is for,” Dr Eoghan DeBarra explained on Newstalk Breakfast.
“The WHO did say early on they expected a number of additional cases.
“Bear in mind, we’re not sure these are additional cases, but people will have symptoms, coughs, sneezes, a bit of fever.
“But that now mandates these people get tested for it.”
I arrived in #Spain, where I will join senior government officials in a mission to Tenerife to oversee safe disembarkation of the passengers, crew members and health experts from MV Hondius cruise ship.
Meanwhile, I am in direct communication with captain Jan Dobrogowski and… pic.twitter.com/W4pI9dlQHg
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 9, 2026
The WHO has said it is possible that the outbreak was caused when passengers on the ship came into contact with rodents while out birdwatching.
The virus will take six weeks to incubate - sometimes even more - and doctors will closely monitor the two Irish nationals.
“There’s still a chance that all of the symptomatic individuals did something similar [birdwatching] before they got on the boat,” Dr DeBarra said.
“Although, I think the WHO knows a lot more about that than me and it seems they’re fairly convinced that isn’t the case and there has been some transmission.
“This virus has been known to do human to human transmission in the past.”
Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses that naturally infect rodents and can occasionally spread to people.
Here’s what you need to know about #hantavirus: What they are, how they spread, the symptoms, and how to prevent infection pic.twitter.com/pduUjlwl2j
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 8, 2026
While Hantavirus is serious to those who catch it, the risk of death is lower when appropriate medical care is provided.
Symptoms of the disease include coughing and shortness of breath, as well as tightness in the lungs.
“Pevious cases, about 30 to 40% of people die when they progress with this,” Dr DeBarra said.
“It’s a lung condition mainly; some people get symptomatic but need some level of oxygen... that’s the thing that will be lifesaving.”
Dr DeBarra continued that during the COVID-19 pandemic, public health officials across the world gained a lot of skill and knowledge about how to quarantine people.
It all means he does not believe the public should be concerned.
“This group of viruses really aren’t known to human to human [transmission]... So, there’s an abundance of caution happening across the world with this,” he said.
“I think that’s reasonable but I really don’t think there’s a risk to the wider public.”
Main image: An evacuation flight from the MV Hondius cruise ship. Picture by: Europa Press via AP.
