- The World Health Organization assesses the global risk of hantavirus as still low.
- The cruise ship MV Hondius will arrive in Rotterdam with 27 people.
- Tedros Ghebreyesus said there were no signs of a major epidemic.
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Sunday that, based on the latest data, it continues to assess the global risk of hantavirus infection as low. She did so shortly before Monday’s docking of the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, on which the virus spread, in the port of Rotterdam. It was reported by the AFP agency.
“The risk to public health has been reassessed based on the most up-to-date information available and the global risk remains low,” the WHO said on Sunday evening. Although there may be additional cases among passengers and crew who were in contact with the virus before the measures were put in place, the risk of further transmission is expected to decrease once the remaining people disembark and control measures are put in place. The situation will continue to be closely monitored.
According to the authorities, the ship should arrive in Rotterdam between 10:00 and 12:00 CET, where the last 27 people will disembark – 25 crew members and two medical personnel. Specifically, there are 17 people from the Philippines, four from the Netherlands, four from Ukraine, and one each from Russia and Poland. All are asymptomatic and under the supervision of health professionals.
MV Hondius, operated by Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, came into the limelight after three passengers died of infection with the Andean strain of hantavirus, the only one confirmed to be human-to-human so far. The infection claimed three lives. So far, six more cases of infection and one probable have been confirmed.
Another case was reported in Canada on Sunday, which was classified as “preliminary positive”. One of the four Canadian passengers tested positive for Andean hantavirus on May 16, the contact person’s test was negative. The patient shows no symptoms, the test has yet to be confirmed.
The WHO is trying to calm fears about a possible recurrence of the covid pandemic. Its director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on May 12 that there were no signs of the start of a larger epidemic. However, he also pointed out that the incubation period of the virus is several weeks, so other cases of infection may appear.
After the ship arrived in the Canary Islands on May 10, more than 120 passengers and crew members were evacuated. Some returned to their home countries, others to the Netherlands. Several evacuees ended up in hospital – a 65-year-old French woman is in critical condition in Paris, two patients (Dutch and British) were transferred to the Netherlands, both of whom are in a stable condition.
All other evacuees in the Netherlands tested negative; some remain in quarantine, others have already traveled home. The body of a German passenger who died during the voyage is also on board. After docking in Rotterdam, the ship will undergo extensive cleaning and disinfection. According to the operator, work will begin immediately upon arrival.
The cruise of the MV Hondius began on April 1 in the Argentinian city of Ushuaia and continued with stops on the remote islands of the South Atlantic until Cape Verde. The ship eventually headed for the Spanish island of Tenerife, where an air evacuation took place.
