‘Healthy and asymptomatic’: Indian embassy says crew evacuated from hantavirus-hit MV Hondius safe

The two Indian crew members aboard the hantavirus-hit Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius are “healthy and asymptomatic” and have been evacuated to the Netherlands for quarantine as per health safety protocols, the Indian Embassy in Spain said on Sunday. The Dutch-flagged ship, carrying about 150 people, including two Indian citizens, arrived in Spain after anchoring near the Canary Islands following an outbreak of hantavirus on board, the embassy said in a statement. The embassy said: “The two Indian nationals are in good health and do not have any symptoms. According to the Spanish National Emergency Monitoring and Coordination Center (CENEM), the 02 Indian nationals traveling as crew members have been evacuated to the Netherlands and will be quarantined in accordance with relevant health and safety protocols.” The Indian ambassador is in close contact with the Spanish authorities and Indian nationals and is regularly monitoring the situation to ensure their safety and well-being, the embassy added. Passengers on the ship disembarked in accordance with protocols established by the World Health Organization and Spanish authorities, the statement said. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has released a technical note on the disembarkation and management of passengers and crew related to the outbreak. WHO recommends that member states “adopt a risk-based approach to identify, monitor and manage possible or confirmed cases of Andes virus (ANDV) on board the MV Hondius cruise ship and contacts associated with events on board the cruise ship. ANDV is associated with limited human-to-human transmission, often associated with close and prolonged contact.” According to the World Health Organization, as of May 8, eight cases of hantavirus have been reported, including three deaths. Six of the cases were laboratory confirmed as Andes virus infections. In India, health experts sought to allay concerns about an outbreak involving two Indian crew members. Dr Naveen Kumar, director of the ICMR National Institute of Virology in Pune, said the cases did not indicate community transmission in India. He said: “At present, the reported cases of infection among Indian nationals on the cruise ship appear to be isolated imported cases and do not indicate community transmission in India. Since hantavirus transmission is mainly transmitted by rodents and is not easily transmitted from person to person, the direct public health risk remains low.” Dr. Kumar also noted that human-to-human transmission of hantavirus remains extremely rare.