Passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius, where a hantavirus outbreak occurred, have already dispersed across multiple countries, and public health authorities are now attempting to trace their movements and contacts across several continents. The report was published by the Associated Press.
On April 24, nearly two weeks after the death of the first passenger, more than two dozen people from at least 12 countries left the vessel without a full contact-tracing operation being carried out.
The virus has already been confirmed in Europe. In Switzerland, a man who had previously disembarked from the ship on the island of Saint Helena tested positive for hantavirus. In Amsterdam, a flight attendant who came into contact in South Africa with an infected cruise passenger during a brief aircraft stopover was hospitalized. She is showing symptoms consistent with a hantavirus infection.
In addition, according to DW, a 65-year-old German woman was hospitalized at Düsseldorf University Hospital after contact with an infected passenger from the vessel. She has not shown symptoms of the disease so far.
Earlier, the first case of hantavirus was also recorded in Israel—in a patient who had arrived from Eastern Europe.
Officials from the World Health Organization continue to stress that the current outbreak is not comparable to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO assesses the risk to the broader public as low. Hantavirus is typically transmitted through contact with rodent excretions and generally does not spread easily between humans.
So far, the outbreak onboard has been linked to three deaths—a married couple from the Netherlands and a German citizen. Several other people have fallen ill.
The vessel continues its journey toward Spain’s Canary Islands, where it is expected to arrive on Saturday or Sunday. More than 140 passengers and crew members remain onboard. None have shown symptoms so far, although the incubation period for hantavirus can range from one to eight weeks.
Investigators believe the source of the outbreak may have originated in Argentina. According to the preliminary theory, the Dutch couple may have contracted the virus during a birdwatching trip before boarding the cruise ship.
The Associated Press also recounts the story of a family in Argentina that encountered the Andes virus earlier this winter. Daisy Morinigo and David Delgado initially mistook the symptoms in their 14-year-old son Rodrigo for an ordinary flu—he developed a fever and body aches. After an initial examination in the city of San Andrés de Giles, doctors sent him home with instructions to take ibuprofen and rest.
On January 1, the teenager’s condition deteriorated sharply, and he was admitted to intensive care. Rodrigo died two hours after receiving a positive hantavirus test result.