As of Wednesday morning, health officials have finally identified the exact species of hantavirus responsible for the outbreak on the MV Hondius. Additionally, three people suspected of having the disease have been medically evacuated – including the ship’s doctor. However, the greater downside is that a French citizen can contract the virus by sharing a flight with an infected person Hondius Passengers—This appears to be the first case of person-to-person transmission outside a plane.
patient “Are on their way to receive medical care in the Netherlands, in coordination with WHO, The ship’s operator and national authorities from Cabo Verde, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday.
One known species and new cases
This strain, Andes virus, was first identified by health officials in South Africa. The virus was found in two people who disembarked from the cruise ship: a Dutch woman who died due to severe illness and a British man who is still in intensive care in a hospital in Johannesburg.
Hantavirus infection is usually spread by contact with infected rodents or their feces/urine. But Andes virus is the only known species capable of spreading between people. Outbreaks of human-to-human transmission of Andes virus are rare but have occurred primarily in South America. The woman was in close contact with the man who is currently considered the first case of the outbreak; Both had traveled to South America before boarding this Hondius On April 1, Joe was scheduled for a multi-stop cruise from Argentina to Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa.
The man died four days after first falling ill in April, but was never tested for possible infection. The woman left the cruise and arrived in St. Helena on April 24, while still experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms. His condition deteriorated rapidly and he died two days later, but before he could board a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa.
As of May 4, there were two confirmed and five suspected cases of hantavirus. Hondius Passengers and crew. Three of these have died due to disease. On Wednesday morning, Swiss and WHO health officials reported the third confirmed and eighth overall case, involving a Swiss citizen who had left the ship. The man has reportedly been isolated and is being cared for at the University Hospital Zurich.
The Sun also reported today that a possible ninth case, involving a French national who shared a flight with a Dutch woman, has been documented. However, the article currently does not cite any official sources for the report. Gizmodo has contacted WHO and the French national public health agency for comment on this possible case, but did not receive a response prior to publication.
fate of Hondius
It is being told that the remaining passengers and crew on board the cruise ship are not showing any symptoms of the disease. Until recently, the ship was moored just outside Cape Verde. The Spanish government plans to tow the ship to the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, the largest city in the Canary Islands, where the passengers will be evacuated. The Spanish travelers will then be isolated at a military base in Madrid, while other travelers will be sent home if deemed free from infection (it can take several weeks for symptoms to appear after exposure to the virus).
However, Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo has flatly rejected the plan, saying Spanish authorities have not communicated adequately with his government.
“This decision is not based on any technical criteria, nor on sufficient information to reassure the public or guarantee their safety,” Clavijo told radio station COPE.
The identification of Andes virus in this outbreak was expected but important to confirm. For starters, it rules out other potentially dangerous scenarios, such as the emergence of a novel hantavirus species or a variant of a known species that has become better adapted to humans. Andes virus still spreads primarily through rodent contact, and cases of human-to-human transmission usually require close, prolonged contact with infected people.
However, there have been outbreaks where Andes virus is suspected to spread relatively easily between people. And given this latest possible case involving a flight passenger, it’s certainly possible that a similar situation could happen again. So while the threat to the general public is still low, we can’t be out of the woods yet.
<a href