Health authorities in multiple countries are continuing to monitor hantavirus outbreaks associated with cruise ships Hondius. Officials are investigating confirmed and suspected infections linked to passengers and crew traveling through multiple international ports.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are currently eight cases of hantavirus linked to the ship: five confirmed and three suspected. Three deaths have also been reported so far.
New suspected cases discovered on remote island
A new suspected case emerged on Friday involving a British national on Tristan da Cunha, often described as the world’s most remote inhabited island.
this british health and safety agency The development was confirmed in an update. The man has reportedly been on the island since the MV Hondius docked there in April.
Officials did not release further details about the patient.
The suspected infection is the latest incident linked to the expedition cruise ship, which has been at the center of the international public health response for days.
WHO says public risk ‘remains low’
Despite increasing international monitoring efforts, WHO officials stressed that the overall threat to the public remains limited. “The risk to the public stay low“, said Nyka Alexander, WHO’s director of emergencies communications, in a live update on Friday.
However, she noted that the level of risk to those on board remains “moderate”.
Alexander also confirmed that no passengers or crew on board are currently showing symptoms of hantavirus infection.
The ship had earlier remained off the coast of Cape Verde while a medical evacuation was carried out. The ship is now expected to dock in Tenerife, where Spanish authorities plan to disinfect the ship and conduct a comprehensive epidemiological investigation, CNN reported.
Also read: Hantavirus alert: full list of countries directly or indirectly affected by cruise ship outbreak
Countries monitoring hantavirus-related cases
Authorities in some countries are tracing passengers, contacts or people suspected of being infected in connection with the outbreak.
U.K.
British health officials say two British nationals have been diagnosed with hantavirus infection. A third British national in Tristan da Cunha is considered a suspected case.
Switzerland
Swiss authorities are tracing contacts related to a passenger who left the MV Hondius in late April and is currently being treated in a Swiss hospital. The passenger’s wife has not yet shown symptoms but is isolating as a precaution, officials said.
USA
The U.S. State Department said it is coordinating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services and Spanish authorities to arrange repatriation flights for the U.S. passengers once the ship arrives in Tenerife.
The department said it has been in close communication with the Americans on board and international health authorities.
State health departments in Georgia, Arizona, California, Texas and Virginia are also monitoring returning passengers. So far, no one has been reported to have symptoms.
Netherlands and South Africa
Authorities are also tracing contacts related to a Dutch woman who died after boarding the ship.
Officials are reviewing the exposure of 82 passengers and six crew members involved on an April 25 Airlink flight from St. Helena to Johannesburg, CNN reported.
KLM also confirmed that authorities contacted a passenger on the second flight after the woman briefly boarded the plane and became too ill to continue traveling.
Also read: ‘We hope it’s under control’: Donald Trump on cruise ship hantavirus outbreak
How many people may have been exposed?
The WHO said there were 147 people on board the MV Hondius during the voyage, including 88 passengers and 59 crew members from 23 countries. The group included 17 Americans.
Additionally, governments are monitoring at least 30 passengers who disembarked on St. Helena before the scope of the outbreak became clear.
Health agencies continue to investigate the exact chain of transmission linked to the cruise ship outbreak.
