Three dead in suspected virus outbreak on Atlantic cruise ship
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One case has been confirmed, with five suspected cases under investigation, it said. One British national aged 69 is in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Hantavirus is usually passed to humans from rodents via their urine or faeces. It can cause severe respiratory illness. Rarely, it can be transmitted between people.
The outbreak was reported aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, which was travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde.
The MV Hondius is run by tour company Oceanwide Expeditions.
According to an itinerary on its website, MV Hondius departed from Ushuaia in Argentina on 20 March and was expected to complete its journey on 4 May in Cape Verde.
It is described as a 107.6m (353ft) polar cruise ship, with space for 170 passengers in 80 cabins, along with 57 crew members, 13 guides and one doctor.
His 69-year-old wife also became ill on board and was evacuated to South Africa, where she died in a Johannesburg hospital.
The husband and wife were a Dutch couple, AFP news agency reported citing a source close to the case.
Speaking anonymously, the source told AFP the third fatality was still on board the ship, and discussions were under way to decide whether two other sick passengers should be placed in isolation in hospital in Cape Verde.
The ship would then reportedly continue to Spain's Canary Islands.
The WHO said it was helping co-ordinate between member states and the ship's operators for the medical evacuation of two symptomatic passengers, as well as a full public health risk assessment and support for those still on board.
Police suspect the human remains belong to a businessman swept away by floodwater last week.
There has been a wave of anti-migrant protests in South Africa, some of which have turned violent.
The 28-year-old was arrested in February after a man had been shot at his home in Johannesburg.
South Africa's president says people's concerns should not "breed... hatred towards fellow Africans".
The activist has condemned France's influence in West Africa and been accused of being a "Russian mouthpiece".
