Authorities worldwide are racing to trace dozens of passengers who disembarked from the cruise ship MV Hondius before a hantavirus outbreak was confirmed. At least 29 passengers of 12 nationalities left the vessel on 24 April after the first fatality, prompting a scramble to identify and track their movements.
The World Health Organization has ruled out a Covid-scale crisis, with Dr Maria Van Kerkhove stating: 'This is not the start of an epidemic. This is not the start of a pandemic. This is not Covid.' The WHO confirmed five of eight suspected cases linked to the ship, with more possible due to the Andes virus's incubation period of up to six weeks.
The outbreak has killed three people and caused global alarm. Hantaviruses, primarily found in rodents, can infect humans and cause flu-like symptoms and respiratory failure. The Andes strain can spread through close contact but is less contagious than Covid-19. No vaccines are available.
Three medically evacuated patients are being treated in the Netherlands, including a 41-year-old doctor, a 65-year-old German passenger, and British expedition guide Martin Anstee, 56. A woman who was not on the ship is being tested for hantavirus in an Amsterdam hospital, which could be the first known case outside the vessel.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the Dutch cruise operator, said 29 people and the body of the first victim disembarked at Saint Helena on 24 April, with the first confirmed case reported on 4 May. Passengers have returned to various countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Taiwan, and Switzerland. Two passengers in Britain are self-isolating with no symptoms, and the UK Health Security Agency has asked them to isolate for 45 days.
The MV Hondius, with 149 people onboard, has departed Cape Verde waters after being denied docking permission and is heading to Tenerife, Spain. Local officials have expressed concerns, but Spain's health minister says there is no public health threat.
