WHO Confirms Five Hantavirus Cases Linked to Cruise Ship Outbreak
NEW DELHI — The World Health Organization on Thursday confirmed five hantavirus cases linked to an outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, while three additional cases remain suspected.
Eight severe respiratory illness cases, including three deaths, have been identified. Five of those cases have been confirmed as Andes virus infections.
The WHO has informed 12 countries whose nationals disembarked earlier in the voyage at Saint Helena, a remote British territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. The countries are Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a media briefing in Geneva that the agency currently expects the outbreak to remain limited if appropriate public health measures are implemented quickly and effectively.
He warned, however, that additional cases remain possible as authorities continue tracing exposed passengers and contacts across multiple countries.
The WHO said about 2,500 hantavirus diagnostic kits are being shipped from laboratories in Argentina to five countries.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the Dutch operator of the MV Hondius, told media outlets that 149 people from 23 nationalities are on board the ship.
Meanwhile, two suspected hantavirus patients evacuated from the cruise ship remained aboard a grounded air ambulance in Spain’s Canary Islands while awaiting a replacement aircraft after a technical malfunction, Spain’s Health Ministry said.
The aircraft had departed Cape Verde and was originally expected to refuel in Marrakesh, Morocco, while en route to Amsterdam. Spanish media reported that Moroccan authorities did not authorize the landing.
“During the refuelling stop, the plane’s doctor reported a failure in the patient’s electrical support system,” Spain’s Health Ministry said in a statement.
Spain earlier said it would receive the MV Hondius in the Canary Islands in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is conducting an assessment of the situation on board to determine which people require urgent evacuation in Cape Verde. The remaining passengers and crew are expected to continue to the Canary Islands, with arrival expected within three to four days. (Source: IANS)
