An Oregon doctor who was aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius during a hantavirus outbreak has tested positive for the disease. Dr Stephen Kornfeld, a retired oncologist, was a civilian passenger on the Oceanwide Expeditions vessel but offered his assistance when passengers fell ill. The ship, which departed from Argentina bound for Cape Verde on 1 April, carried 147 passengers. At least three people have died.
Dr Kornfeld, now in a biocontainment unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, described his symptoms. “Early in April, maybe the 10th or so, a number of us onboard came down with what felt like a flu-like illness,” he told CNN. He experienced night sweats, chills, mild respiratory issues and fatigue. The acute symptoms passed but fatigue lingered for two and a half weeks.
Nasal swabs taken from Dr Kornfeld and other staff were flown to the Netherlands for testing. One lab returned a negative result, while another was “faintly positive.” He is awaiting further test results but says he currently feels “great.”
In a separate development, the Illinois Department of Public Health confirmed it is investigating a hantavirus case not linked to the cruise. A resident in Winnebago County is suspected to have contracted a North American strain while cleaning a home with rodent droppings. The person is recovering with mild symptoms and was not hospitalised.
The risk of hantavirus remains low for most people. North American strains are not known to spread between people, though the Andes strain responsible for the cruise outbreak can, in rare cases, be transmitted person-to-person.
