WHO said on May 12 that 11 people have been linked to a hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius cruise, with 9 confirmed cases, 2 suspected cases and 3 deaths reported. [1, 2, 3]
The ship carried passengers and crew from multiple countries and has prompted evacuations, quarantines and treatment in Spain, France, the United States, Britain, the Netherlands and Canada. [4, 5, 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 3]
A Spanish man evacuated from the ship tested positive after an initial screening and later developed mild fever and respiratory symptoms, Spain’s health ministry said. [5, 3] In France, a woman fell ill after returning to Paris from Tenerife and worsened during quarantine, where she was treated in intensive care with ventilatory support or stronger treatment, according to French and WHO-linked reports. [4, 6]
In the United States, 18 American passengers returned home and were placed under assessment or quarantine, with 16 in Omaha, Nebraska, and 2 in Atlanta. [4, 9, 10, 11] Britain arranged for 20 British citizens, one German resident of Britain and one Japanese passenger to reach northwest England late on Sunday for 72 hours of medical checks, followed by 42 days of self-isolation. [4]
Canada said 6 Canadians were on board, 4 were flown home and 2 remained in self-isolation in Ontario. [4] Dutch passengers were also removed from the ship and taken to Eindhoven to finish quarantine, while separate reports said 2 charter flights carrying 28 travellers landed in the Netherlands on May 12. [4, 8]
WHO said anyone possibly exposed should be monitored for 42 days from the last contact, with some reports placing that date at May 10 and the end of monitoring at June 21. [1, 2] The source of the outbreak remains under investigation, and some Argentine officials have speculated it may be linked to the ship’s departure point in Argentina, though that has not been confirmed. [4]
