Radboud Quarantines 12 Workers for 6 Weeks After Hantavirus Protocol Failures

11 articles · Updated · NL Times · May 11

Twelve Radboudumc employees in Nijmegen were placed in precautionary quarantine for six weeks after possible exposure while handling a hantavirus-positive patient evacuated from the Hondius cruise ship.
The hospital said staff used standard precautions for the patient's blood and failed to follow the latest international rules when disposing of urine, even though stricter procedures were required for this virus.
Radboudumc said the infection risk is very low, but the lapse affected workers involved in the case; the hospital did not disclose their roles and said it will investigate what went wrong.
The patient is one of at least seven confirmed infections linked to the 147-passenger-and-crew outbreak on the Dutch-flagged vessel, which has killed three people; the last remaining passengers were allowed off the ship Monday.

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