health
Global race under way to trace passengers who left hantavirus ship before outbreak confirmed
At least 29 passengers of 12 nationalities left the MV Hondius on 24 April after the first fatality
TL;DR
- Around 29 passengers of 12 nationalities left the cruise ship MV Hondius on April 24th, after the first fatality from a hantavirus outbreak.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated the outbreak is not a pandemic and assesses the public health risk as low.
- Hantaviruses, primarily found in rodents, can cause flu-like symptoms, pulmonary syndrome, and respiratory failure in humans; the Andes strain can spread through close contact.
- Three people, including a doctor and two passengers, are being treated in the Netherlands, with a Dutch woman not on the ship also being tested.
- Passengers who disembarked have been contacted and are believed to have returned to their home countries, with some being monitored or self-isolating.
- The MV Hondius, with 149 people remaining onboard, is heading to Tenerife, Spain, where passengers will be evaluated and will disembark only for transfer or repatriation with protective measures.
- The outbreak is believed to be linked to a couple from the Netherlands who traveled in Argentina, a country with a high incidence of hantavirus.
- The body of a German passenger who died on May 2nd remains on the ship.