The hantavirus that has infected seven people, three of which have died, aboard a Dutch cruise ship may have spread via close person-to-person contact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s epidemic and pandemic preparedness director, told a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday that any suspected transmission between people would have happened “among the really close contacts” – citing married couples as an example. The risk to the wider public remained low, she said.
The WHO believes the original infection happened off the ship. Van Kerkhove said the typical incubation period of one to six weeks meant the Dutch couple at the centre of the outbreak had probably been infected before they boarded in Argentina, possibly during land activities. The strain has not yet been identified; genetic sequencing is being carried out in South Africa.
Only one variant of the virus, the South American Andes virus, is known to be capable of spreading between people, and such transmission is rare.
Spain to take the ship
Spain has agreed in principle to receive the Hondius in the Canary Islands for a full epidemiological investigation and disinfection of the vessel. Spain’s health ministry said on Tuesday no port decision had yet been taken, and one would only be made after reviewing data collected during the ship’s stopover off Cape Verde.
Two crew members on board who require urgent care will be evacuated first to the Netherlands before the ship can move. Dutch authorities are preparing two specialised aircraft for the evacuation, which will also carry a third individual linked to a German passenger who died on board on May 2.
Cases on board
The WHO has identified seven cases linked to the cruise – two confirmed by laboratory testing and five suspected. Three of those people have died, one is in a critical condition in hospital in Johannesburg, and three remain on board with mild symptoms.
The Dutch couple, from the village of Haulerwijk in Friesland, joined the ship on April 1 in Argentina. The husband fell ill on April 6 and died on board on April 11; his body was disembarked at the British territory of St Helena on April 24. His wife fell ill during a flight to Johannesburg the following day and died on arrival on April 26. Her case was confirmed by laboratory test on May 4.
A British man was medically evacuated from Ascension to Johannesburg three days later and is being treated in intensive care. The cause of death of the German woman who died on board on May 2 has not yet been established.
In total, 149 people are currently on board the Hondius, which is anchored off Praia, the capital of Cape Verde. Passengers, who include 19 Britons, 17 Americans and 13 Spaniards from 23 countries in total, have been told to remain in their cabins.
