A suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship has claimed three lives and left others ill. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that detailed investigations are currently underway into the incident, including extensive laboratory testing and epidemiological studies to understand the virus's spread. Sequencing of the virus from the current outbreak is also ongoing. Hantaviruses, which have been present for centuries, have a documented history of outbreaks across Asia and Europe. In the Eastern Hemisphere, these viruses have been associated with severe conditions such as haemorrhagic fever and kidney failure. A distinct group of hantaviruses emerged in the early 1990s in the southwestern United States, leading to the acute respiratory disease now known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The disease garnered significant attention in 2025 following the death of Betsy Arakawa , wife of actor Gene Hackman , from a hantavirus infection in New Mexico .…