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The World Health Organization (WHO) has reaffirmed that the global public health risk linked to the Hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius remains low, despite continued international monitoring and several confirmed infections.
In a statement released Sunday evening, the WHO said it had reassessed the situation using the latest available information and concluded that “the global risk remains low.”
Health officials warned that additional cases could still emerge among passengers and crew members who were exposed to the virus before containment measures were implemented on board. However, the WHO believes the risk of wider transmission has decreased significantly since passengers disembarked and strict control measures were introduced.
The situation continues to be monitored closely by international health authorities.
Ship Expected in Rotterdam
According to Dutch authorities, the Hondius, operated by Dutch travel company Oceanwide Expeditions, is scheduled to dock Monday morning in the port of Rotterdam. The remaining 27 people on board — including 25 crew members and two medical personnel — are expected to disembark afterward.
Worldwide, the death toll connected to the outbreak remains at three.
No Evidence of Dangerous Mutation
The WHO also stated that there is currently no indication that a more dangerous mutation of the virus was involved in the outbreak. Investigators believe the infections are linked to the Andes virus, the only known strain of Hantavirus capable of spreading from person to person.
The outbreak occurred during a cruise traveling from Argentina to the Cape Verde islands. More than 120 passengers and crew members left the vessel about a week ago in Tenerife and traveled onward to their home countries. Because the virus can have a long incubation period and potentially severe symptoms, health authorities in multiple countries continue to monitor former passengers.
International Search for Contacts
The outbreak has triggered an international effort to trace and monitor potentially exposed travelers.
Canadian health authorities confirmed Sunday that one passenger from the Hondius tested positive for the Andes Hantavirus on May 16. The infected traveler had been among four Canadian passengers on the ship. A close contact traveling with the patient tested negative, and no additional Canadian cases have been identified so far.
In the United Kingdom, nine people from the overseas territories of St. Helena and Ascension were expected to arrive Sunday evening for precautionary isolation near Liverpool after being identified as contacts of an infected person. British health officials said none of them currently showed symptoms. Around 20 former Hondius passengers in the UK are already under medical observation.
Meanwhile, Swiss authorities confirmed the country’s first land-based case connected to the outbreak. The patient is currently receiving treatment in Zurich.
Confirmed Cases Rise
Officials have so far confirmed seven infections, along with one probable case. Earlier WHO assessments had referred to a total of eleven suspected and confirmed infections linked to the outbreak.
The incident has raised concerns because Andes Hantavirus infections can cause severe respiratory illness and have a relatively high fatality rate. The possibility of person-to-person transmission has prompted authorities worldwide to trace passengers who may have traveled on commercial flights after leaving the cruise ship, including individuals who reportedly flew to Vienna and other European destinations.
- source: oe24.at/picture: pixabay.com
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