Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship expected to arrive in the Netherlands
A cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak is scheduled to arrive in the port city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands on Monday morning.The MV Hondius has spent the past six days sailing from the Canary Islands, where the remaining passengers were escorted off the vessel by personnel in full-body protective gear and boarded flights to more than 20 countries to enter quarantine.The outbreak on the ship has reached 11 cases, nine of which have been confirmed, according to the World Health Organization.Three passengers have died, including a Dutch couple who health officials believe were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America.The vessel has made the journey from Tenerife up the coast of Africa and Europe with 25 crew members and two medical personnel.
According to the ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions, no one on board is experiencing any symptoms.Crew members who are unable to return home will be quarantined in the Netherlands, the Dutch health ministry said last week.Some two dozen passengers and crew are already in quarantine in the Netherlands, after arriving in the country on a series of flights over the previous two weeks.The Public Health Agency of Canada said Sunday that one of the four Canadians in isolation after leaving the ship had tested positive.
The case was not yet reflected in the WHO data.Eighteen Americans are currently under observation at specialized healthcare facilities in the United States designed to treat people with dangerous infectious diseases.Dr.Bonnie Henry, the public health officer for the province of British Columbia, said Saturday the person had received a “presumptive positive” but further testing would be conducted at the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg.After everyone on board has disembarked, the ship will be decontaminated based on Dutch public health guidelines.
“Personal protective measures are being taken to ensure that the cleaners do not need to quarantine after the cleaning,”...