Cruise Ship 'Hantavirus' Outbreak Triggers Global Alert... "First Patient Boarded After Bird-Watching Tour"

Atlantic Cruise Outbreak

First Patient Presumed Infected Before Boarding

Tracking Becomes More Difficult as Infected Passengers Return Home

A hantavirus outbreak occurred on a cruise ship sailing across the Atlantic, resulting in three deaths and heightening concerns among health authorities worldwide. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly emphasized that the current public health risk is low, stating, "The situation is different from the COVID-19 pandemic."

On the 6th (local time), the Dutch cruise ship "MV Hondius" anchored in Cabo Verde, West Africa. Photo by AP Yonhap News Agency

According to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and BBC on the 6th (local time), the Dutch-flagged cruise ship 'MV Hondius' set sail for Spain's Canary Islands after disembarking three suspected patients that day. The ship had been docked off the coast of Cabo Verde, West Africa, since May 3.

The disembarked patients are a 41-year-old Dutch national, a 56-year-old British national, and a 65-year-old German national. They are being transported by air ambulance to specialized hospitals in Europe. So far, there have been eight suspected cases of infection on the cruise ship, and three of them have tested positive. Three individuals, including a Dutch couple and a German passenger, have already died.

This cruise ship departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 and had been sailing across the Atlantic after stopping at the Antarctic mainland, South Georgia Island, and Nightingale Island. The first symptoms appeared on April 6, the sixth day after departure. A 70-year-old Dutch male passenger developed a fever, headache, and diarrhea, later experiencing difficulty breathing before passing away on April 11.

His 69-year-old wife also saw her condition worsen and died on April 26 while receiving treatment in Johannesburg, South Africa. She tested positive for hantavirus. On May 2, a German passenger also died on board.

First Infection Believed to Have Occurred Before Boarding

Health authorities and the WHO believe it is unlikely that the first infected patient contracted the virus on the cruise ship. This is because the typical incubation period for hantavirus ranges from one to eight weeks, and the timing of the first symptoms was too soon after boarding.

The Associated Press, citing epidemiological authorities in Argentina, reported that the deceased Dutch couple likely became infected while on a birdwatching tour in Ushuaia before boarding. The couple visited a landfill during the tour and may have been exposed to rodents at that time.

Medical staff wearing protective suits are transferring patients by ambulance from a cruise ship docked at Praia Port, Cabo Verde, on the 6th (local time). Photo by AP Yonhap News

Anais Legand, a WHO expert on viral hemorrhagic fevers, also told AFP that "the first patient appears to have been exposed to rodents prior to boarding, not on the ship or at a port of call."

The issue is that human-to-human transmission has since been confirmed. The 'Andes variant,' which can be transmitted between people, was identified in a British patient undergoing treatment in South Africa. The same variant was detected in a passenger receiving treatment in Zurich, Switzerland.

A WHO official stated that samples collected in Cabo Verde, South Africa, and Switzerland all confirmed the same variant. However, the WHO stressed that "it is a completely different pattern from COVID-19 or influenza."

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's Director of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, explained, "Human-to-human transmission is only possible through very close physical contact, such as sharing a cabin or providing care. This is different from COVID-19, which spreads easily through the air."

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also stated, "At this stage, the global public health risk remains low" and "the situation cannot be compared to the early days of COVID-19."

Passengers from the Cruise Ship Have Spread Across the Globe

However, health authorities in various countries remain on high alert. In particular, since cruise ship passengers have already traveled to several countries, the scope of contact tracing is rapidly expanding.

The second fatality, a Dutch woman, traveled from Saint Helena to Johannesburg, South Africa, using a commercial flight. At the time, there were 82 passengers and 6 crew members on board, and South African authorities are currently tracking them. Dutch airline KLM also stated that on April 25, the woman briefly boarded a Johannesburg-to-Amsterdam flight but was deplaned due to health issues. Dutch health authorities are contacting the passengers from that flight as a precaution.

The hospital in Zurich where a Swiss passenger who developed symptoms after boarding the cruise is reportedly hospitalized. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

In Switzerland, a passenger who returned home after the cruise was admitted to a hospital in Zurich and was confirmed to have the Andes variant. British health authorities have also confirmed that two cruise passengers have already returned to the UK and have recommended self-isolation.

The WHO is currently working with governments to trace the movements of 69 passengers and close contacts. Health authorities in Europe and Africa are also investigating the contacts of passengers who disembarked earlier at ports of call.

Conflict Between Spain’s Central and Regional Governments Over Port Entry

The incident has also sparked conflict between the Spanish central government and the Canary Islands regional government. The Cabo Verde government denied the ship entry due to public health concerns, but the Spanish central government allowed entry to the Canary Islands on humanitarian grounds.

However, Fernando Clavijo, head of the Canary Islands regional government, strongly objected, stating that the decision was made without sufficient information sharing. He has even requested a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Spanish health authorities say that, so far, there have been no additional symptomatic cases among passengers or crew onboard. The cruise ship is scheduled to arrive in Tenerife, Canary Islands, in three days.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.