India, May 8 -- A deadly outbreak of the hantavirus on a cruise ship has sent health officials scrambling across multiple countries. Three passengers have died since April 11, at least five others have fallen ill and five cases of the Andes strain of the hantavirus, which is primarily found in South America, have been confirmed on the ship so far, according to the World Health Organization.

Despite the alarm, the WHO moved quickly to calm public fears. "This is not Covid, this is not influenza," said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's head of epidemic and pandemic preparedness at a news conference in Geneva. "This spreads very, very differently." She added firmly, "This is not the start of an epidemic, this is not the start of a pandemic,"...