Experts say the transmission of hantavirus between humans is so rare that a pandemic is nearly ‘impossible’.

The last of the passengers on the hantavirus-struck MV Hondius cruise ship have been flown to the Netherlands. But new cases are emerging as researchers race to track down where the outbreak originated.

As authorities seek to arrange quarantines and access to health facilities for the passengers, communities where some of the passengers have gone have responded with anger and protests against what many perceive as risk of exposure to the virus.