WHO Raises Ebola Risk for DRC; New Hantavirus Case on Dutch Cruise Ship

The World Health Organization (WHO) stated today that the public health risk posed by the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been upgraded from 'high' to 'very high.' WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference, 'We are currently upgrading the national-level risk assessment to very high.' Additionally, Tedros announced that a crew member from the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, who disembarked in Tenerife and was returned to the Netherlands, tested positive for Hantavirus today. He stated, 'The Netherlands confirmed one new case today, a crew member who disembarked in Tenerife and was subsequently quarantined in the Netherlands.' He further noted that the total number of suspected and confirmed cases has reached 12, including 3 deaths.