SouthernWorldwide.com – The global effort to monitor the spread of hantavirus from the cruise ship MV Hondius is expanding, now including the United States, after health officials confirmed the virus on board is a rare strain transmissible between humans.
Twelve countries are actively monitoring individuals who disembarked the ship before the hantavirus cases were confirmed, according to the World Health Organization. These nations include Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In the U.S., two residents of Georgia and one in Virginia are among those being watched for symptoms of the rare and potentially fatal disease. These individuals had previously returned home from the MV Hondius. Health departments in Georgia and Virginia have reported that all three are in good health and show no signs of the virus. California health officials also confirmed an unspecified number of residents are under observation, with none exhibiting any illness or infection.
Tragically, three individuals who were on the cruise have died. This includes a couple from the Netherlands and another woman from Germany, as confirmed by the World Health Organization.
The husband of the Dutch couple passed away on board the MV Hondius on April 11. Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship’s owner, confirmed that 30 guests, including six Americans, disembarked on April 24 in Saint Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic. These passengers then made their own arrangements to return to their home countries.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the WHO, stated at a press conference that no samples were taken from the man who died on board. His symptoms were initially similar to other respiratory illnesses, so hantavirus was not suspected at the time.
The wife of the deceased Dutch man was among the 30 passengers who disembarked in Saint Helena. Her health deteriorated during a flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg on April 25. She briefly boarded a KLM passenger flight in Johannesburg but was denied travel due to her medical condition. She passed away in South Africa the following day, having been unable to fly home.
A British man who developed symptoms while on the ship was evacuated on April 27 to South Africa for medical treatment. His case was the first confirmed hantavirus infection on May 4, according to Oceanwide Expeditions. He remains hospitalized, and his condition is reportedly improving, the WHO noted.
Subsequently, officials confirmed that the Dutch woman’s blood test was positive for hantavirus. KLM was notified of these results on May 5 and began informing all passengers on the flight the woman had taken.
South African authorities announced on Wednesday that the strain of hantavirus identified in the Dutch woman and the hospitalized man is the Andes strain. This strain, predominantly found in Argentina and Chile, is capable of human-to-human transmission, unlike other hantavirus strains which are typically contracted through direct contact with rodents.
“In previous outbreaks of Andes virus, transmission between people has been associated with close and prolonged contact, particularly among household members, intimate partners and people providing medical care,” Dr. Tedros explained at the press conference. “That appears to be the case in the current situation.”
Health experts believe the risk of a widespread outbreak of the disease remains low. “The pandemic risk from this outbreak is low,” stated CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Céline Gounder. “Hantavirus does not spread the way flu or COVID does. But this is exactly the kind of event that tests whether global health systems work.”
Two British nationals who were on the MV Hondius have since returned to the U.K. independently and are also under monitoring, according to the U.K. Health Security Agency. Neither is currently reporting symptoms and have been advised to self-isolate. The agency’s statement emphasized that the risk to the general public remains very low.
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Another individual who disembarked in Saint Helena tested positive for the Andes strain in Switzerland, the WHO reported.
Three individuals with suspected hantavirus cases were airlifted from the ship on Wednesday. These included German and Dutch passengers and a British crew member, Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed. The Dutch passenger and British crew member are receiving treatment in the Netherlands and are reported to be in stable condition. The German passenger was asymptomatic and has returned to Germany.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, acting director for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stated on Wednesday evening that the CDC has been coordinating with domestic and international partners since learning of the outbreak. The CDC has been actively engaged in monitoring the situation and collaborating with relevant health authorities.
The MV Hondius departed Cape Verde late Wednesday and is en route to the Canary Islands, a journey expected to take three to four days. However, some officials in the Canary Islands have expressed reservations about the ship docking at Tenerife, the archipelago’s largest island, as initially planned.
José Domingo Regalado, the mayor of the Tenerife seaside community of Granadilla de Abona, voiced strong opposition to the ship’s arrival in a video statement. He requested that passengers be transferred to the nearest airport for their home countries to quarantine and receive treatment if necessary. Regalado criticized the decision to bring the passengers to the Canary Islands as lacking “common sense.”
Canarias President Fernando Clavijo announced on Thursday that the ship would be permitted to anchor off the islands but would not be allowed to dock.
In Argentina, the country’s health ministry has offered its “technical capacity, experience and resources available to assist health systems that require it,” given that the Andes strain originated in the country. The ministry confirmed that the identified variant corresponds to the Andes strain, which has a history of circulation in specific southern regions of Argentina and southern Chile.
The ministry stated that the ship set sail from Argentina on April 1, and the country is actively collaborating with international agencies and involved nations to contain the outbreak and ensure proper case management. No associated cases have been reported in Argentina to date.
Argentina’s health ministry also noted that no hantavirus cases have ever been reported in Tierra del Fuego since mandatory notification began in 1996, despite the cruise ship having departed from Ushuaia, the capital of that region.
The Dutch couple who died had arrived in Argentina on November 27 and traveled extensively through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay for several months. They returned to Argentina on March 27 before boarding the MV Hondius on April 1. Prior to boarding the ship, the couple had embarked on a bird-watching trip that included visiting areas known to host rodents carrying the Andes virus.
The WHO is working with Argentine health authorities to trace the couple’s movements and expressed gratitude for the government’s cooperation, acknowledging its experience and expertise with the Andes virus.
