WHO Warns of More Hantavirus Cases After Cruise Ship Outbreak

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to prepare for further hantavirus cases after an outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius, warning that more infections may emerge in the coming weeks because of the virus’s long incubation period.

Three passengers, a Dutch couple and a German national, have died since the outbreak began on the ship, which had sailed from southern Argentina and was heading north towards Cape Verde. The WHO said on Monday that seven cases of the Andes strain of hantavirus had been confirmed, with two further suspected cases.

A French passenger has also tested positive after the ship docked in the Canary Islands. French authorities said the 65-year-old woman was in critical condition in intensive care and had been placed on an artificial lung.

“She has the most severe form of the cardiopulmonary course of the disease”, said Xavier Lescure, an infectious disease specialist at Bichat Hospital in Paris.

Spain’s health ministry said one of 14 Spaniards quarantined at a military hospital in Madrid had tested positive for the virus. The ministry said the patient was showing no symptoms and that further tests were being carried out before a definitive result was announced.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Spain for allowing the ship to dock in Tenerife after Cape Verde did not permit a safe evacuation. The WHO has recommended a 42-day quarantine for all passengers.

(guardian, bak)