A cluster of hantavirus infections broke out on a cruise ship sailing the Atlantic, but the World Health Organization (WHO) drew a line, saying the likelihood of spread akin to the COVID-19 pandemic is low.
According to AP and Reuters on the 6th, local time, the Netherlands-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius remained at anchor for several days off Cabo Verde in West Africa, disembarked three suspected patients, and resumed sailing to Spain's Canary Islands. The vessel carries 146 passengers and crew.
The three suspected patients were airlifted to Europe by medical flight, and the Netherlands' foreign ministry said they are nationals of the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Germany, respectively. So far there have been eight suspected patients, three of whom have tested positive. The United Kingdom patient being treated in South Africa was confirmed to be infected with the Andes variant, which can spread between people. Switzerland has also reported an infection with the same variant, and the WHO likewise said samples collected in South Africa, Switzerland, and Cabo Verde are of the same variant.
The ship departed Argentina on Apr. 1 and an outbreak occurred while it was passing remote areas including the Antarctic continent and South Georgia Island. Cabo Verde then denied entry citing public health risks, and Spain allowed entry to the Canary Islands on humanitarian grounds. The number of deaths among passengers due to hantavirus stands at three: a Dutch couple and one German.
Spain's health minister, Monica Garcia, said, "No symptoms are appearing among the passengers and crew who remain on board," adding, "The ship is expected to arrive in Tenerife within three days." The Spanish government plans to isolate 14 of its nationals who are passengers at a military hospital in Madrid.
The WHO is currently tracing the movements of 69 close contacts. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low," emphasizing, "This is different from the early days of COVID-19." He added, "We are closely monitoring passenger health in cooperation with the operator and authorities in each country." Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's head of epidemic management, also said, "Human-to-human transmission occurs in extremely close contact such as sharing a cabin or caregiving," explaining, "Its transmission pattern is fundamentally different from COVID-19 or influenza."