After the evacuation of the last passengers from the MV Hondius ship, which was hit by a hantavirus outbreak, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said there was no sign of a wider outbreak. However, he warned that the situation could change and there was a possibility of more confirmed cases in the coming weeks.
The MV Hondius ship departed Tenerife on Monday and is travelling towards the Dutch port of Rotterdam, while two flights with the last passengers arrived in Eindhoven on Tuesday, writes the BBC .
Three people have died after travelling on the ship. A French woman and a Spaniard, who had previously returned to their countries, tested positive. In total, the WHO has confirmed 9 cases, with two others suspected. The French woman is in intensive care in Paris and is being treated with an artificial lung, while the Spanish patient has mild respiratory symptoms.
Twelve hospital workers in the Netherlands are in quarantine after treating an evacuated passenger, after they failed to follow strict safety protocols while handling blood and urine samples.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference in Madrid: “There are currently no signs that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak. But the situation could change, given the long incubation period of the virus.”
Hantaviruses are usually transmitted by rats, but the Andes virus, which is believed to have infected several travelers in South America, can also be transmitted by humans. Symptoms include fever, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and difficulty breathing.
In Spain, one of 14 citizens quarantined in Madrid after evacuation tested positive for hantavirus, with mild symptoms and stable condition. In Italy, biological samples are being collected from a man who traveled with a woman who later died of the virus. The samples will be analyzed at Rome's main infectious diseases hospital, Spallanzani.
France reports the situation is under control, with one woman in intensive care, while 22 other contacts are being kept in isolation. Two Britons with confirmed cases are currently being treated in the Netherlands and South Africa.
The MV Hondius is expected to arrive in Rotterdam on May 17, where it will be cleaned and disinfected. 122 passengers and crew have so far been evacuated to the Netherlands and their home countries via government-organized flights.
Of the 27 people who remained on board, 25 are crew members and two medical staff, from countries as diverse as the Philippines, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Russia and Poland. The Ukrainians will help transfer the ship and will be quarantined in the Netherlands, without showing any signs of illness.
The first victims include a 70-year-old Dutch man who died on April 11, his 69-year-old wife in South Africa and a German woman on May 2.
The MV Hondius had set off on the journey on April 1 from Ushuaia, Argentina, with 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries.
