Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship MV Hondius: 8 Confirmed with Human-Transmissible Andes Virus

Eight people infected in the hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius have tested positive for the Andes virus, the only hantavirus strain known to spread between humans, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday. According to AFP, the WHO said, “eight cases were laboratory-confirmed for Andes virus (ANDV) infection, two are probable, and one case remains inconclusive and is undergoing further testing.” The outbreak has so far claimed three lives among people aboard the ship, which departed from Argentina on April 1 for a transatlantic cruise. Two of the deceased had confirmed Andes virus infections, while the third was classified as a probable case, the WHO said. Hantavirus is typically transmitted through contact with the urine, saliva or faeces of infected rodents. There is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for the disease. WHO says public health risk remains low The WHO maintained that the public health risk remains “moderate” for passengers and crew who were on board the vessel, but “low” for the rest of the world. The WHO believes the first infection likely occurred before the cruise began because the first victim, a 70-year-old Dutch passenger, developed symptoms on April 6. The incubation period for the virus ranges from one to six weeks. According to AFP, the inconclusive case involves an American passenger who has since been repatriated to the United States. The passenger is currently asymptomatic and is undergoing further testing after one positive and one negative result. US patients remain under monitoring According to the news agency AP, more than 120 passengers and crew members were evacuated from the cruise ship and sent to various countries for quarantine and monitoring. Among them was oncologist Dr Stephen Kornfeld from Oregon, who was placed in a special biocontainment unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center after an inconclusive nasal swab result. Kornfeld later told CNN, “I feel wonderful, 100%.” He said he had earlier experienced flu-like symptoms including chills, fatigue and night sweats during the voyage but had since recovered. Kornfeld has now been cleared to leave the biocontainment unit and shifted to a standard quarantine facility along with other monitored Americans. US health officials said the broader public risk remains low because hantavirus does not spread easily between people, although the Andes strain identified in the outbreak can rarely transmit between humans. The WHO has advised all passengers and crew from the ship to remain under quarantine for 42 days.