Countries Isolate MV Hondius Passengers for 42 Days After 3 Deaths in Hantavirus Outbreak
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 11
Countries Isolate MV Hondius Passengers for 42 Days After 3 Deaths in Hantavirus Outbreak
9 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 11
Nine hantavirus cases linked to the MV Hondius have been reported so far—seven confirmed and two suspected—after three passengers died following the cruise from Argentina.
Dozens of passengers began leaving the ship near Tenerife on Sunday, with countries imposing isolation, hospital checks and symptom monitoring as they repatriate nationals.
The UK took 22 people to Arrowe Park Hospital for 72 hours of testing before 42 days of home isolation, while the US said 1 returnee tested positive and another had symptoms.
France confirmed its first case after a passenger flew from Tenerife to Paris, Spain quarantined 14 nationals at a Madrid military hospital, and Dutch and German returnees were sent into monitored isolation.
WHO says the wider public risk remains low, while investigators are still examining whether the outbreak began during travel in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, where the Andes strain is found.
With human transmission confirmed, are current quarantine measures enough to stop this deadly hantavirus from spreading beyond the cruise passengers?
After a fatal outbreak on a luxury ship, can the booming adventure travel industry truly guarantee passenger safety in remote regions?
Is this cruise ship outbreak a tragic anomaly, or a grim warning of future pandemics fueled by climate change?