World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday that seven cases of hantavirus had been reported from the Dutch-flagged cruise vessel Hondius, but the overall risk to the public is low.

According to the report, a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness aboard a cruise ship was reported to the organistion on Saturday.

The ship is carrying 147 passengers and crew. As of Monday, seven cases had been identified, including two laboratory-confirmed hantavirus infections and five suspected cases.

The cases include three deaths, one in critical condition and three individuals with mild symptoms. The cases were reported between April 6 and 28, characterised by fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, rapid progression to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock.

Further investigations are going on. The outbreak is being managed through a coordinated international response, including in-depth investigations, case isolation and care, medical evacuation and laboratory testing, said the global health watchdog.

Human hantavirus infection is primarily acquired through contact with the urine, faeces, or saliva of infected rodents. It is a rare but severe disease that can be fatal.

Although uncommon, limited human-to-human transmission has been reported in previous outbreaks of Andes virus, a specific hantavirus species.

Based on available information and current understanding of the virus, the WHO assesses the risk to the global population from this event as low, saying it will continue to monitor the epidemiological situation and update its risk assessment.

• A Tell Media / Xinhua report