From his isolation bed in a Dutch hospital, 56-year-old British expedition guide Martin Anstee has become the focal point of a global medical emergency. The former police officer, who was working aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, is now one of the primary cases in a rare, person-to-person Hantavirus outbreak that has claimed three lives and triggered an international response.
"I'm not doing too bad," Martin told Sky News. "I have no idea how long I'll be in the hospital for. I'm in isolation at the moment." He added that doctors should have a clearer picture of his recovery plan later this week.
While he remains stable, medical professionals are working around the clock to assess his condition. This particular outbreak has caused international alarm because, unlike typical Hantavirus strains that rely on rodent contact, this mutation appears to spread directly from human to human.
Origin of the Outbreak
Investigators have traced the primary exposure back to a Dutch couple who went birdwatching in Ushuaia, Argentina. It is believed they visited a landfill site to photograph birds, where they were likely exposed to infected rodents. The couple then boarded the MV Hondius cruise ship on April 1, alongside 88 passengers and 59 crew members representing 23 nationalities.
On April 11, the 70-year-old Dutch male became the first suspected fatality, and his body was removed from the boat on April 24. His wife travelled to South Africa, where she collapsed and died at Johannesburg airport. A German national has also died, bringing the death toll to three, with eight additional confirmed cases. Those infected have been removed from the cruise ship and transported to the Netherlands for treatment.
International Spread
The situation escalated into an international medical emergency when a man who was not on board the stricken cruise liner but shared a flight with someone who was contracted the deadly disease. The unnamed passenger from France is being monitored as a close contact after developing signs of the rat-borne illness. He had boarded the same flight as an infected Dutch passenger who left the MV Hondius after experiencing gastric symptoms but was unaware of her infection at the time.
South African-based carrier Airlink confirmed that the flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg carried 82 passengers and six crew. World Health Organisation officials are working to track down those on board.
Source Investigation
Health officials in Argentina, where the MV Hondius set sail a month ago, are investigating whether the country is the source of the outbreak. The nation's health ministry announced yesterday that it will carry out rodent trapping and analysis in Ushuaia, its port of departure. Argentina is consistently ranked by the World Health Organisation as having the highest rates of the rare, rodent-borne disease in Latin America.
