Health officials suspect that a deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship may have originated from a Dutch couple who contracted the illness during a birdwatching trip to a landfill in Ushuaia, Argentina. The couple visited the landfill site, where they could have been exposed to rodents carrying the infection. Authorities noted that Ushuaia and the surrounding province of Tierra del Fuego had never previously recorded a case of hantavirus.
The World Health Organisation has reported eight suspected cases of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, with five confirmed. The vessel, which sailed from southern Argentina, is now heading to the Canary Islands despite being blocked from docking in Tenerife by regional leader Fernando Clavijo.
Two individuals who returned to the UK from the ship have been asked to self-isolate. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) stated that the risk to the general public remains very low, and neither person has reported symptoms. UKHSA is supporting a small number of close contacts who are also self-isolating without symptoms.
Martin Anstee, a British expedition guide on the ship, was one of three people medically evacuated due to a suspected hantavirus infection. Speaking from hospital, the 56-year-old said he was feeling okay but remained in isolation, awaiting further tests. Spanish health minister Monica Garcia confirmed that all remaining passengers and crew on the ship are asymptomatic.
