The World Health Organization has said there is currently no evidence of a wider hantavirus outbreak following infections linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius.
Speaking on Tuesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said health officials are closely monitoring the situation but stressed that there is “no sign” of a major outbreak at the moment.However, he warned that more cases could still emerge because the virus has a long incubation period.
The MV Hondius recently departed Tenerife, Spain, and is now heading to Rotterdam in the Netherlands after passengers and crew were evacuated over fears of hantavirus infections.
So far, three people linked to the cruise ship have died, while several confirmed and suspected cases have been reported across different countries.Health officials confirmed that some passengers tested positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus, a rare form that can spread between humans.
The virus is usually transmitted through contact with infected rodents.Symptoms of hantavirus include fever, severe fatigue, muscle pain, stomach discomfort, vomiting, diarrhoea and breathing difficulties.In the Netherlands, 12 hospital workers have been placed in quarantine after possible exposure while treating one of the infected passengers.Spain’s health ministry also confirmed that one quarantined passenger in Madrid tested positive and is currently experiencing mild symptoms.
Authorities in Italy are carrying out tests on a man who travelled on the same flight as one of the victims, while France confirmed that another passenger is isolating in Paris after her condition worsened.Two British nationals who tested positive are receiving treatment in the Netherlands and South Africa.The cruise ship operator said the vessel will undergo sanitation procedures once it arrives in Rotterdam later this month.The outbreak is believed to have started during the ship’s journey from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1.
The vessel was carrying 147 passengers and crew members from 23 countries.
Health authorities around the world continue to monitor passengers who travelled on the ship as precautionary measures remain in place.
