The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reportedly activated a “level 3” emergency response following a hantavirus outbreak related to the expedition cruise ship MV Honidus, which has two Indian crew members onboard. The outbreak has been linked to three deaths and several suspected infections. The health authorities across several countries are trying to trace passengers who left the vessel before the virus was officially confirmed.
The Netherlands-based Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates the ship, said there are currently 149 people onboard, including two Indian crew members.
The outbreak is believed to involve the Andes virus, a rare hantavirus strain found in South America that can spread through very close human contact. The World Health Organization (WHO), however, said the overall public risk remains low.
Why are passengers being traced across countries?
According to PTI, nearly 30 passengers from at least 12 countries disembarked from the ship at St Helena in the South Atlantic on April 24, before the first confirmed hantavirus case was identified on May 2.
Several of those passengers later travelled to countries like the UK, Singapore, Switzerland, Australia and the United States. Authorities are now trying to trace their movements and identify people who may have been exposed during flights and onward travel.
The Guardian reported that WHO officials have warned that additional cases may still emerge because the incubation period of the Andes virus can last up to six weeks.
How did the outbreak begin on MV Hondius?
The Hondius expedition vessel departed from Ushuaia in southern Argentina on April 1 and travelled through Antarctica and remote Atlantic islands.
According to Oceanwide Expeditions, the first passenger — a Dutch national — died onboard on April 11. His body and wife were later taken off the ship at St Helena. The woman later died in South Africa after becoming ill during her journey.
A British passenger evacuated to Johannesburg tested positive for hantavirus and remains in intensive care. Another German passenger died on May 2, while several suspected cases are being monitored in Europe, Asia and Africa.
What is hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are generally spread through infected rodents or their droppings. Symptoms can include fever, fatigue, breathing difficulty and severe lung infection known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
“This is not the start of an epidemic. This is not the start of a pandemic. This is not Covid,” WHO official Maria Van Kerkhove said, according to The Guardian.
The ship was earlier denied docking permission near Cape Verde and is now heading towards Spain’s Canary Islands, where passengers are expected to undergo medical screening before repatriation.