India, May 7 -- On May 2, 2026, a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness aboard a cruise ship, carrying 147 passengers and crew, was reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Out of these, two cases of hantavirus were confirmed, and five suspected cases were identified, including three deaths, one critically ill patient, and three individuals reporting mild symptoms.

The WHO reported that no rats were onboard the ship that was hit by hantavirus. Since the disease is usually spread by contact with infected rodents, it is suspected that this is a rare case of human-to-human transmission. So, what exactly is this virus? Here's everything you need to know about it:

According to the CDC (Centres for Disease Control and ...