Another ill passenger from the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius arrived in Europe on Thursday as the vessel sailed towards Spain’s Tenerife, while health authorities rushed to trace the spread of the potentially deadly human-to-human strain.
The situation surrounding the MV Hondius has triggered international concern after three passengers died. However, health officials have sought to calm fears of a broader global outbreak, stressing that the virus spreads less easily than COVID-19.
People believed to have contracted the virus are currently receiving treatment or isolating in United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and South Africa.
A cabin crew member from KLM is undergoing testing after possible exposure to an infected passenger during a flight.
Hantavirus is a rare respiratory illness commonly spread through infected rodents. It can cause severe respiratory and cardiac complications as well as haemorrhagic fever. No vaccine or specific cure currently exists, leaving treatment focused mainly on easing symptoms.
The strain identified aboard the ship was the rare Andes virus, which can spread between humans.
Officials believe a passenger contracted the virus before boarding the ship in Argentina and later infected others during the Atlantic crossing. The virus has an incubation period ranging from one to six weeks.
On Thursday, a medical aircraft carrying an unwell passenger landed in Amsterdam, a day after three evacuees had already been removed from the ship, according to the Netherlands-based operator Oceanwide Expeditions.
The company stated that no symptomatic individuals currently remain onboard as the vessel continues towards Tenerife.
Two passengers who returned to the United Kingdom have been instructed to self-isolate, according to the UK Health Security Agency. Authorities noted that both individuals showed no symptoms and described the public risk as “very low”.
The World Health Organization has also downplayed fears of a wider outbreak. Its Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told AFP that “the risk to the rest of the world is low.”
Similarly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that the threat to the American public remained “extremely low”.
Authorities in Argentina have announced plans to test rodents in Ushuaia, where the ship departed on April 1.
The first known victim, a Dutch passenger travelling with his wife, died aboard the ship on April 11. According to Turkish travel vlogger Ruhi Cenet, the captain informed passengers that the death resulted from “natural causes”.
The man’s body was removed from the ship on April 24 at Saint Helena, where 29 passengers disembarked.
Concern intensified after his wife, who travelled with his body to South Africa, also died 15 days later. Authorities confirmed Hantavirus as the cause of death on May 4.
The couple had reportedly travelled through Chile, Uruguay and Argentina before joining the cruise.
Officials are also tracing passengers from a commercial flight taken by the Dutch woman from Saint Helena to Johannesburg while she displayed symptoms. South African carrier Airlink said the flight carried 82 passengers and six crew members.
KLM later confirmed that one crew member had developed mild symptoms and was undergoing testing. The airline also disclosed that one of the deceased passengers had briefly boarded a flight from Johannesburg to the Netherlands on April 25 before being removed prior to departure.
Questions also remain over the exact number of people aboard the ship. The operator stated that 149 individuals, including 88 passengers, were onboard when the vessel anchored near Cape Verde. However, it earlier reported that 114 guests and dozens of crew members had departed from Argentina on April 1.