The World Health Organization emphasized on Thursday that the risk to the general public is low, despite the presence of the Andean strain of hantavirus on a stricken cruise ship, which can rarely be transmitted among humans. The WHO is developing guidance for when the MV Hondius arrives in Spain’s Canary Islands, where the remaining passengers will disembark. None of these passengers, including four Canadians, currently show any symptoms.
In the outbreak on the Hondius, three individuals have died, while five others are suspected of having contracted the virus. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s director of epidemic and pandemic management, highlighted that hantavirus is distinct from coronavirus and stressed the unique nature of this situation.
Hantavirus is primarily spread through contact with rodents or their excretions, with the Andean strain identified in this incident showing potential for human-to-human transmission. Symptoms may include fatigue, fever, muscle pain, headache, nausea, and in severe cases, difficulty breathing leading to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which can be fatal.
Officials from WHO reassured citizens of Tenerife in the Canary Islands not to panic, as strict protocols will be followed during disembarkation. Meanwhile, the health condition of a British patient in South Africa has improved, and a patient in the Netherlands is currently in stable condition.
Oceanwide Expeditions disclosed that 30 people disembarked in St. Helena before the outbreak was known, including two Canadians, and the company is unaware of the whereabouts of these passengers. The travel plans of the four remaining Canadian passengers are unclear at this time.
Health authorities globally are tracking down passengers who disembarked at St. Helena before the outbreak. Efforts are ongoing to locate individuals, such as a man in Switzerland who tested positive for hantavirus and two men from Singapore who are being monitored after flying back from South Africa.
In Argentina, health officials plan to conduct rodent trapping and analysis in Ushuaia to investigate the source of the outbreak. The virus identified in the victims has been confirmed as the Andean strain, which can transmit among humans through close contact, although the chances of contagion are rare.