WHO Confirms 12th Hantavirus Case on MV Hondius as 600 Contacts Are Tracked in 30 Countries
Updated
Updated · NBC News · May 22
WHO Confirms 12th Hantavirus Case on MV Hondius as 600 Contacts Are Tracked in 30 Countries
10 articles · Updated · NBC News · May 22
A crew member from the MV Hondius tested positive after disembarking in Tenerife and has been isolated in the Netherlands, lifting the outbreak total to 12 cases and three deaths.
WHO said the incubation period can last up to six weeks and urged affected countries to keep monitoring passengers and crew through the rest of quarantine.
More than 600 contacts are still being followed across 30 countries, while officials continue trying to locate a small number of high-risk contacts.
Oceanwide Expeditions said signs suggest the virus was introduced before embarkation, and WHO believes the first infection may have come from rodent exposure during a bird-watching excursion.
The outbreak involves the Andes strain, which can spread person to person, after the Antarctic cruise left Ushuaia on April 1 carrying nearly 150 people.
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