Hantavirus outbreak on the Hondius: number of cases rises
11 May 14:11
Two passengers evacuated from the Hondius cruise ship have tested positive for hantavirus. A French citizen, who was transported to Paris along with four other French passengers following an outbreak of the deadly virus on the cruise ship, tested positive, French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist announced on Monday, May 11, according to "Komersant Ukrainian", citing DW.
According to her, the condition of the patient, who had already shown symptoms of the disease the day before, worsened overnight. Upon arrival in Paris, the woman, like the other evacuated passengers, was placed in isolation. The remaining four people will be retested. In addition, 22 people who had contact with those infected with the hantavirus have been identified.
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Earlier, a positive test for hantavirus was also received from one of the 17 Americans during an evacuation flight to the U.S., the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington stated.
Evacuation from the Hondius is nearing completion
Meanwhile, the evacuation of people from the cruise ship MV Hondius, which arrived yesterday at the port of Granadilla de Abona on the island of Tenerife, is nearing completion. In the afternoon, the last remaining passengers will leave the cruise ship, and the final two evacuation flights will depart for the Netherlands and Australia. After that, the ship will head to the Netherlands, where it will arrive in a few days.
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There were about 150 passengers, crew members, and experts from 23 countries on board the cruise ship Hondius. According to Spanish authorities, 94 people from 19 countries were evacuated on the first day. To date, eight people have fallen ill, and six of them have tested positive for hantavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported. Three passengers had previously died from the infection on board the ship.
German passengers from the cruise ship were transported to Germany
At the time of docking, four German citizens remained on the ship. They, along with some other passengers, were transported by a special flight to Eindhoven, Netherlands, from where the Germans were transported by special transport to Germany. They will undergo further examination at the University Hospital in Frankfurt am Main and will then be placed in quarantine in various federal states. The WHO recommended a 42-day quarantine for all passengers on the ship.
One of the Germans will be taken to the Charité clinic in Berlin, while the other will undergo home quarantine in Baden-Württemberg. According to officials, they do not yet show any symptoms of the disease. The duration of the quarantine has not been reported. Earlier, a German woman who had been in contact with a passenger on the cruise ship who exhibited symptoms of hantavirus was transported to Düsseldorf.
Ukrainians on board
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there were five Ukrainian citizens on board. One Ukrainian is being evacuated from the ship along with the main group of passengers.
Four other Ukrainians remain on the ship as part of the crew to ensure its safe passage to the Netherlands.
Once the mission is complete, they will also be sent to a medical facility for quarantine. Currently, no signs of illness have been detected among the Ukrainian citizens, and the situation is under close diplomatic monitoring.
Hantavirus and its symptoms
There are several types of hantavirus. It is most commonly transmitted through dust contaminated with rodent feces, such as those from rats. According to experts, most hantaviruses are not transmitted from person to person. The only exception is the Andean strain, which is widespread in South America and can be transmitted through close contact. It is this type of hantavirus that is at issue in the case of the cruise ship MV Hondius—the WHO suspects that one of the passengers, who had been traveling with his wife through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay since late November, contracted the virus before boarding the ship.
According to the German Robert Koch Institute, in most cases the disease is asymptomatic or presents without specific symptoms. However, hantavirus can also cause fever accompanied by bleeding, trigger heart failure, and affect the lungs and kidneys. There are currently no vaccines against hantavirus in Europe, North, and South America. In China and South Korea, vaccines are used whose effectiveness has not been scientifically proven.
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