Hantavirus Outbreak Origin and Spread Remain Uncertain in Global Health Investigation

US and French Citizens Test Positive for Hantavirus Amid Cruise Ship Evacuation

A US citizen who was on board the MV Hondius cruise ship has tested positive for hantavirus, while a French traveler has developed symptoms. The ship is currently being evacuated, with passengers returning to their home countries.

The evacuation began on Sunday, when officials in full protective gear escorted passengers from the ship to shore using small boats. They were then transported to planes that flew to several destinations around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was present during the process and emphasized that people on Tenerife, as well as the general public, are at low risk of contracting hantavirus.

According to WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove, passengers should be tested and monitored for at least 42 days after suspected exposure to the virus. Planes carrying passengers from over 20 countries departed from Tenerife, with Spanish passengers being the first to receive medical attention in Madrid. Norwegian citizens were also evacuated on an ambulance plane.

At least one American passenger has tested positive for hantavirus, but is not showing symptoms. A US evacuation plane was scheduled to arrive in Omaha, Nebraska, where passengers would be quarantined. French Health Minister Stephanie Rist reported that one of five French passengers had developed symptoms upon returning to France, and will be placed under isolation.

Other countries have also taken measures to quarantine their citizens. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that a Japanese national traveling to the UK would be monitored for up to 45 days. In the Netherlands, an evacuation plane carrying 26 people landed in Eindhoven on Sunday evening, with Dutch citizens being put into a six-week self-quarantine at home.

The outbreak has led health officials to investigate possible sources of the virus, including Argentina, where the ship departed on April 1.

Source: Al Jazeera