Deadly hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship triggers international health response
A deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius has triggered an international health response after three people died and several others were infected across multiple countries.
The vessel, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, is currently sailing toward Spain’s Canary Islands after crossing the Atlantic from Argentina. Health authorities in Europe and South Africa are tracing passengers and crew members who may have been exposed to the virus.
The outbreak involves the rare Andes strain of hantavirus, one of the few known variants capable of limited human-to-human transmission through close contact. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed multiple cases connected to the ship but said the overall risk to the wider public remains low.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) activated a Level 3 emergency response, its lowest emergency level, to support surveillance and contact tracing efforts.
Several passengers linked to the ship are being treated or isolating in the Netherlands, Britain, Germany, Switzerland and South Africa. Dutch authorities said a KLM flight attendant was hospitalized and undergoing testing after possible contact with an infected passenger.
The outbreak is believed to have started after a passenger contracted the virus before boarding the ship in Argentina. A Dutch passenger died aboard the vessel on April 11, while his wife later died in Johannesburg after leaving the ship. Another British passenger remains in intensive care in South Africa.
Turkish wildlife photographer Emin Yogurtcuoglu and his wife were also aboard the ship. Yogurtcuoglu said there were currently no new symptomatic cases on board as the vessel heads toward Tenerife for further health checks and disembarkation procedures.
Hantavirus infections are usually linked to exposure to infected rodents and can cause severe respiratory and cardiac illness. There is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for the disease.
Source:AA
