SouthernWorldwide.com – Authorities are in a race against time to locate approximately 40 passengers who disembarked from a cruise ship that experienced a severe hantavirus outbreak. These individuals are believed to have left the vessel without undergoing proper contact tracing and have since dispersed to various countries, creating a significant international health concern.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the operator of the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, stated on Thursday that 29 passengers left the ship on April 24. This occurred nearly two weeks after the first fatality on board. However, Dutch officials estimate the number of departing passengers to be closer to 40.
These passengers hailed from at least a dozen different nationalities and have returned to their home countries across Europe, Africa, and other regions. This geographical spread has complicated the search efforts, according to the company. The nationalities of two individuals remain unknown.
Health officials have confirmed that at least one passenger who had been on the ship has tested positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus. This individual, a man who returned to Switzerland, had the rare variant that can be transmitted between people through close contact.
CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER DESCRIBES UNCERTAINTY AFTER 3 DEATHS AMID HANTAVIRUS PROBE
The hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship has tragically resulted in at least three deaths. Several other individuals have also fallen ill as the virus spread among those on board.
The first death, a Dutch man, occurred on April 11. His body was disembarked onto the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena. His wife also disembarked there before traveling to South Africa, where she tragically collapsed and passed away at the Johannesburg airport.
Read more : Hantavirus in the US: Locations of the Rare Disease
Argentine officials shared with The Associated Press on Wednesday that the primary theory suggests the couple may have been exposed to rodents. This exposure is thought to have occurred during a bird-watching tour in Ushuaia, where they visited a landfill. It is believed they unknowingly contracted the virus before boarding the cruise ship.
RARE HANTAVIRUS HUMAN-TO-HUMAN TRANSMISSION SUSPECTED ON LUXURY CRUISE SHIP WHERE 3 HAVE DIED
Hantavirus is typically transmitted through the inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings. The World Health Organization (WHO) has noted that human-to-human transmission is uncommon, though not impossible.
Following the Dutch man’s death, additional medical evacuations were carried out.
According to the company, a British man was flown to South Africa from Ascension Island. Furthermore, three other individuals, including the ship’s doctor, were airlifted to Europe for medical treatment. At the time of these evacuations, the vessel was navigating near Cape Verde.
With passengers now dispersed across different continents and with limited information regarding their travel itineraries, health officials in South Africa and across Europe are actively working to retrace their movements. Their primary goal is to identify anyone who may have been exposed to the virus.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
