The World Health Organization announced that “the outbreak of the Hanta virus on a cruise ship, which killed three people, does not currently constitute the beginning of a pandemic or pandemic.” Director of the Organization's Department of Prevention and Preparedness in the Face of Pandemics and Epidemics, Maria Van Kerkhove, said: "It is not the beginning of an epidemic, nor is it the beginning of a pandemic, but it is an opportunity to remember the importance of investing in research focused on pathogens such as this virus, because treatments, vaccines, and diagnostics save lives."