TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Various countries are making efforts to prevent further spread of hantavirus on Thursday, May 7, after the alarming cruise ship outbreak on MV Hondius.
As reported by CNA, authorities in several countries are tracking passengers who disembarked the ship before the virus was detected and anyone who had close contact with them since.
Three individuals—a Dutch couple and a German national—have died in the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
In total, five individuals have been confirmed to have contracted the virus, with three other suspected cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Hantavirus usually spreads through rodent animals, but in rare cases, it can be transmitted from person to person. The person-to-person transmission occurred with the Andes strain, which was found in this cruise ship case.
All passengers who disembarked in St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, where the ship made a stop on April 24, have been contacted, the ship operator said. This includes individuals from at least 12 countries, including seven British nationals and six from the United States.
The first confirmed case of hantavirus in this outbreak occurred in early May.
"This is Not COVID"
The WHO reiterated that the risk to the general public is low, although the Andes virus strain found in several victims, in rare cases, can be transmitted between humans.
"This is not coronavirus, this is a very different virus," said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's director of epidemic and pandemic management, at a press conference Thursday night Geneva time. "This is not the same situation we were in six years ago."
The WHO stated that they are currently preparing step-by-step guidelines for the dozens of passengers still onboard and sailing to the Canary Islands. They are expected to arrive there on Saturday or Sunday and then disembark and return. Currently, none of the passengers are showing symptoms.
Contact Tracing and Monitoring
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that they are closely monitoring the situation, adding that the risk to the American public is currently extremely low.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday that he has been briefed on hantavirus and expressed hope that the virus is contained.
The Georgia Department of Public Health said they are monitoring two asymptomatic individuals who have returned home after disembarking from the cruise ship.
The Arizona Department of Health Services stated that they are monitoring one individual, who was also on the ship, and is not showing symptoms. According to the New York Times, California is monitoring several individuals who were on the ship.
In Texas, officials said that two passengers from the ship have returned to the U.S. prior to the outbreak being identified.
A French national had contact with an individual who fell ill but is not showing symptoms, officials said.
Oceanwide Expeditions stated that they are currently attempting to obtain details of all passengers and crew who boarded and disembarked at various stops since March 20.
The Dutch couple who died, and who are believed to be the first hantavirus cases from this outbreak, boarded the ship on April 1.
Dutch airline KLM said they had offloaded the Dutch woman from a flight in Johannesburg, South Africa, on April 25 due to deteriorating health conditions. She passed away before reaching the Netherlands.
According to RTL television station, a KLM flight attendant who had contact with her has been hospitalized in Amsterdam after showing possible hantavirus symptoms.
The ship's crew and passengers who assisted the deceased Dutch woman are being called in daily for health checks, Dutch authorities told the NOS public television station.
Singapore's Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said on Thursday that two Singaporeans aboard the MV Hondius are currently isolated at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, where they are undergoing virus tests.
"Their test results are still pending. One has a runny nose but is otherwise well, and the other is asymptomatic. The risk to the general public in Singapore is currently low," it said.
The two individuals—a 67-year-old Singaporean and a permanent resident of Singapore, aged 65—have disembarked from the ship.
However, they were also on the same flight as the confirmed hantavirus case from St Helena to Johannesburg on April 25, the CDA stated. It added that the confirmed case did not travel to Singapore and passed away in South Africa.
Evacuation and Testing
Three patients were evacuated from the ship on Wednesday. Two have been hospitalized in the Netherlands, while the other was transferred to Germany for medical care.
Martin Anstee, an expedition guide, is one of the two evacuees being treated in a hospital in the Netherlands, according to Sky News. He said he is "doing okay" with many tests impending.
The University Hospital Düsseldorf, which is treating the German passenger, stated that he is not a confirmed case but more of a contact and is undergoing testing.
In Switzerland, a man who traveled on the cruise ship and is hospitalized has been confirmed positive for infection, officials said.
A Danish national who was on MV Hondius has returned home and has been advised to self-isolate as a precaution, Danish health authorities said.
In Canada, officials said that two Canadian nationals who were on the cruise ship have returned home before the outbreak was identified. Another Canadian national was on the same flight as the hantavirus-infected woman who died in South Africa. The three are currently not showing symptoms.
Read: WHO: Hantavirus Outbreak Not a Pandemic Threat
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