According to CNN, a Dutch couple and a German national have died since the cruise ship departed from Argentina last month. The first suspected case was a 70‑year‑old Dutch man who suddenly fell ill while on board, developing fever, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhoea, South Africa’s Health Ministry told CNN. He died on the ship on 11 April.
146 people remain on board under quarantine
A total of 146 people from 23 different countries – including 17 Americans – remain on board the MV Hondius under what operator Oceanwide Expeditions described as “strict precautionary measures”.
At least 30 passengers disembarked at the remote South Atlantic island of Saint Helena in late April, while several critical cases were airlifted to Europe earlier this week. The remaining passengers are scheduled to arrive in Spain’s Canary Islands this weekend before returning to their home countries.
Spanish authorities said the ship is expected to reach Tenerife at around 12:00 local time on Sunday.
Crew doctor fell ill, passenger stepped in
Speaking to CNN from the virus‑hit vessel, Stephen Kornfeld, a doctor travelling as a passenger, described how he had to take over medical duties after the ship’s doctor became ill.
“Within 12 to 24 hours it became clear there were a number of people who were sick and deteriorating. Somehow I ended up taking on the ship doctor role,” he said.
Dr Kornfeld, who spent the past five weeks on board, said most passengers had little or no contact with those who showed symptoms. He said passengers have been quarantined and isolated for three to four weeks, expressing confidence that most would disembark relatively quickly.
Authorities tracing dispersed passengers
The situation has drawn international attention, as some passengers had already disembarked and dispersed across multiple countries before the outbreak was fully understood, prompting comparisons with the early days of the Covid‑19 pandemic.
Oceanwide said on Thursday it is working to “fully document all passengers and crew who embarked and disembarked at various stops of the MV Hondius from 20 March onwards,” amid concerns about global spread.
WHO: No Covid‑scale pandemic expected
The WHO said on Thursday that while it expects additional cases, it does not anticipate a large Covid‑like pandemic and stressed that there is no evidence of widespread transmission.
The outbreak is linked to the rare but potentially serious human form of the Andes hantavirus, which in some cases can be transmitted between people through close contact.
It remains unclear how the outbreak began. The WHO is operating under the assumption that the Dutch couple who died were infected outside the ship, possibly during their visit to Argentina prior to boarding.
Travel history of first cases
WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the first two cases had travelled to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on a bird‑watching trip that included visits to areas where the rodent species carrying the virus is present.
As hantavirus typically has an incubation period of one to six weeks before symptoms appear, health officials say the couple may have fallen ill some time after exposure.
Tracing the source of infection
Argentine authorities are now reconstructing the route the couple followed before boarding the MV Hondius in Ushuaia on 1 April, in an effort to identify the source of infection.
Argentina’s Health Ministry said no cases linked to the cruise outbreak have been identified within the country so far, and that no hantavirus cases have been recorded in Ushuaia in recent decades.
However, the virus is endemic in certain regions, and authorities found that the couple, who arrived in Argentina on 27 November, crossed the border with Chile several times before boarding the vessel.
On 31 January they re‑entered Argentina from Chile via the southern province of Neuquén and later visited Misiones in north‑eastern Argentina, both regions previously identified by the WHO as endemic areas for hantavirus.
On 13 March the couple travelled overland to Uruguay before returning to Argentina on 27 March and continuing on to Ushuaia, where the cruise began on 1 April.
Rodent testing under way
Argentina’s Health Ministry said technical teams will travel to Ushuaia to trap and test rodents in areas linked to the couple’s route as part of the investigation.
Argentina, which announced last year that it would withdraw from the WHO, will nevertheless send biological samples and laboratory reagents to Spain, Senegal, South Africa, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to support diagnosis and analysis of the cases.
Global monitoring of cruise passengers
The exposure of MV Hondius passengers to hantavirus is now being monitored worldwide, with several countries tracing and treating possible cases.
Netherlands
Three evacuated passengers have arrived for treatment:
– a British national
– a 65‑year‑old German citizen
– a 41‑year‑old Dutch crew member
Two are in serious condition, while the third is currently asymptomatic but under medical care.
A KLM flight attendant who had contact with a 69‑year‑old Dutch woman who died in South Africa is also being monitored, with test results pending.
South Africa
A British passenger who became ill on 27 April is hospitalised in a private intensive care unit in Johannesburg. He is the country’s second confirmed hantavirus case, and his condition is improving.
Switzerland
A returning passenger tested positive and is receiving treatment in Zurich.
United Kingdom
Two British passengers who disembarked on 24 April are in self‑isolation as a precaution. Contact tracing is under way for at least seven additional passengers.
United States
Virginia: One passenger under monitoring in good condition; fewer than five additional possible exposures being assessed.
Texas: Two passengers monitored, asymptomatic.
Georgia: Two people under observation, asymptomatic.
Arizona: One individual monitored, asymptomatic.
California: Multiple individuals under monitoring, with no reported illness.
Singapore
Two men aged over 60 are in self‑isolation and undergoing testing. One has mild symptoms, while the other remains asymptomatic.
Canada
Three people are in self‑isolation, two in Ontario and one in Quebec. One individual did not travel on the cruise but was on the same flight as two passengers.
France
Eight French nationals who were on a flight with a confirmed case on 25 April between Saint Helena and Johannesburg are under monitoring. One has mild symptoms and has been tested, while isolation measures are in place.
Health authorities continue to stress vigilance, while reiterating that a large‑scale outbreak remains unlikely.
Source: iefimerida.gr
