Cruise Ship Infected with Hantavirus Docks in Dutch Waters

A cruise ship carrying 25 crew members and two medical personnel has arrived at the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection after a reported hantavirus outbreak on board. The MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, had previously disembarked all passengers at other locations before arriving in Rotterdam.

According to the ship operator, no crew members on board are currently experiencing symptoms of the virus. Authorities have set up white containers along the water near where the ship docked, which will be used for quarantine purposes. The crew will enter immediate quarantine, with those who cannot be immediately repatriated spending their time in these containers.

Three passengers from the ship have died, including a Dutch couple who were among the first to contract the virus while visiting South America. At least 11 cases of infection on the ship have been confirmed, with nine of them being verified by health officials. The Public Health Agency of Canada has reported one Canadian case in isolation after leaving the ship.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has maintained its assessment of the hantavirus outbreak as “low risk”, stating that while additional cases may still occur among exposed individuals, the risk of onward transmission is expected to be reduced following disembarkation and implementation of control measures. The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport has confirmed that crew members who are unable to return home will be quarantined in the Netherlands.

The ship will undergo decontamination based on Dutch public health guidelines after everyone on board has disembarked. Public health officials will inspect the ship before it is allowed to sail again. The Pasteur Institute in France has sequenced the Andes virus detected in a French passenger from the Hondius and found that it matches viruses already known in South America, with no evidence of new characteristics that would make it more transmissible or dangerous.

Source: Al Jazeera