Number of hantavirus cases from cruise outbreak rises to 13: WHO

The number of hantavirus cases linked to a cruise ship at the center of an outbreak has increased to 13, the head of the World Health Organization(WHO) said on Wednesday.

"Spain reported a new case among the passengers who are in quarantine, which brings the total number of cases to 13," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X.

There are no new deaths reported since May 2,the total number of deaths remains three out of 13 reported cases so far, Tedros said.

"The situation remains stable. Passengers who got sick are receiving needed care, while others remain in quarantine," Tedros added, noting that WHO is in close contact with all the relevant governments.

Previously, a hantavirus outbreak aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius raised fears. However, WHO has said that the overall risk to the public remains low, and has recommended that all evacuated passengers undergo active health monitoring for 42 days from their last exposure date, either in designated quarantine facilities or at home, with the monitoring period lasting until June 21.

The cruise ship's operator, the Oceanwide Expeditions, said on Wednesday that, following advice from Dutch health authorities, the vessel will delay its return to the home port of Vlissingen and will remain docked in Rotterdam for further cleaning and disinfection, in order to resume operations later.

The company said the cruise ship plans to resume operations and carry out scheduled voyages starting from June 13.

A playful giant panda - less than two years old - has been captured on camera climbing a tree and then resting on one of its branches at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

In the video, the panda Xin Qiao climbed up the wooden frame and onto the tree. Then it crawled from the base of the tree to the branches and sat down to rest.

Xin Qiao was born in August 2024 at the Shenshuping base of the Wolong National Nature Reserve to mother Mei Mei.

The CCRCGP has built the world's largest captive population of pandas and pioneered rewilding research through captive breeding and training. It also runs a global cooperation platform that links 18 zoos in 16 countries and regions with 39 domestic breeding institutions and more than 10 research institutes.