WHO Confirms Andes Hantavirus on MV Hondius After Three Deaths, Tracks Passengers

A suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship led to three deaths and several others severely ill, and the World Health Organization confirmed the Andes virus was involved in the outbreak.

“Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship not start of pandemic, UN health agency says An outbreak of hantavirus on board a cruise ship is not the start of a pandemic, the UN health agency has said”

BBC

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Andes virus is a form of hantavirus that can spread from person to person, and Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said, "This is not SARS-CoV-2. This is not the start of a COVID pandemic."

BBC

The outbreak was tied to a 46-day journey that began in Ushuaia, Argentina, with 114 guests boarding on April 1 and the ship later making a stop in St. Helena where 30 passengers disembarked 23 days later, according to the cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the ship was on a route that included Cape Verde and was sailing for Spain’s Canary Islands, while the BBC said the luxury cruise is expected to arrive in Spain's Canary Islands on 10 May.

The WHO said the number of lab-confirmed hantavirus cases has risen to five, with three additional suspected cases, as the ship continued toward the Canary Islands with passengers and crew being monitored.

In the United States, California public health officials said they were monitoring the situation after being notified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that some state residents were passengers on the MV Hondius, and Robert Barsanti said, "At this time, the risk to public health in California is low."

The BBC reported that authorities asked "everyone to wear a mask" on board the MV Hondius, and WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said his organisation "assesses the public health risk as low."

CBS News

USA TODAY said the CDC stated the risk to the American public "is extremely low" at this time, while CBS News reported that five U.S. states were monitoring passengers who debarked the Hondius before cases were confirmed on board.

The BBC said the WHO reported five of eight suspected cases had been confirmed, and it described three deaths including a 69-year-old Dutch woman, with her Dutch husband and a German woman also dying.

As the ship moved, the WHO said none of the remaining passengers or crew members were currently symptomatic, while the Los Angeles Times reported that none of the remaining passengers or crew members are currently symptomatic and that the ship was not permitted to allow passengers to disembark at its original destination, Cape Verde.

Health authorities raced to trace dozens of people who had disembarked from the Dutch vessel MV Hondius, including passengers who left on April 24 from St. Helena without contact tracing, as the NPR report said more than two dozen people from at least 12 different countries left the ship.

“Health authorities across several countries are racing to trace and contain an outbreak of the hantavirus after the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that five confirmed infections had been identified among people connected to the cruise ship MV Hondius”

CNN

NPR said the St. Helena government told higher risk contacts to isolate for 45 days, while the BBC reported that Spain said discussions with the UK were "very advanced" for London to send a repatriation flight for British nationals to Tenerife after the vessel's arrival.

USA TODAY reported that the ship departed from its location off Cape Verde on May 6 and was headed north to the Canary Islands, with Oceanwide Expeditions saying it was expected to arrive at the port of Granadilla on the island of Tenerife during the "early hours" of May 10.

The BBC said Oceanwide Expeditions reported that the first confirmed case of hantavirus was not reported until 4 May, and it said authorities had asked everyone to wear a mask while those in contact with or caring for suspected cases should "wear a higher level of personal protective equipment."

As the international response expanded, the Los Angeles Times reported that the CDC was assisting local health authorities with monitoring California residents aboard the MV Hondius, while the BBC said the WHO was aware of reports of other people with symptoms who may have had contact with passengers and that officials were in touch with relevant authorities.