AMSTERDAM, May 7 (Reuters) – Countries around the world scrambled on Thursday to prevent the spread of hantavirus following an outbreak on a cruise ship, tracking down people who had disembarked before the virus was detected and anyone who had had close contact with them since.
Three people — a Dutch couple and a German citizen — died during the outbreak on the MV Hondius. Eight people, including a Swiss citizen, are suspected of having contracted the virus, which is usually transmitted by rodents but, in rare cases, can be transmitted between people, the World Health Organization said.
All passengers who disembarked in St Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, where the ship made a stop on April 24, have been contacted, the ship’s operator said, adding that this included people from at least 12 countries, including seven British citizens and six US citizens. The first confirmed case of hantavirus emerged in early May.
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Experts have emphasized that contagion is very rare, but the outbreak has put health authorities on high alert.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was closely monitoring the situation, adding that the risk to the US population was extremely low at this time.
The Georgia Department of Public Health said it was monitoring two asymptomatic residents who had returned home after disembarking the cruise ship.
A French citizen was in contact with a person who became ill but had no symptoms, said Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
Oceanwide Expeditions said it is now working to establish details of all passengers and crew who have embarked and disembarked at various stops since 20 March. The Dutch couple who died, and who are believed to be the first cases of hantavirus in this outbreak, only embarked on April 1st.
Dutch airline KLM said on Wednesday it had removed the Dutch woman from a plane in Johannesburg on April 25 due to her deteriorating health condition. She died before reaching the Netherlands.
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According to broadcaster RTL, a KLM flight attendant who was in contact with her was admitted to a hospital in Amsterdam after showing possible hantavirus symptoms. The Dutch Ministry of Health has not confirmed that the woman being tested is a KLM flight attendant, nor has the airline.
But the crew and passengers who helped the Dutch woman who died are being called daily for health checks, Dutch authorities told public broadcaster NOS.
(Additional reporting by Madeline Chambers in Berlin, Toby Sterling and Stephanie van den Berg in Amsterdam, John Revill in Zurich)
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