Hantavirus attacks cruise ship passengers. WHO intervenes

Three people have died and at least one is seriously ill following the emergence of a virulent pathogen on board the cruise ship MV Hondius, sailing from Ushuaia in southern Argentina to Antarctica. According to preliminary data, the cause of the passengers’ deaths is a rodent-borne hantavirus.

Seven cases on board

Representatives of Oceanwide Expeditions, the operator of the Dutch cruise ship, reported the deaths of three passengers: a Dutch couple and a German citizen. A critically ill British woman was transported to a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she is being treated in an intensive care unit. The presence of hantavirus in the respiratory tract has been officially confirmed in her and in the deceased Dutch woman.

Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) are investigating the situation. Currently, infections are suspected in three additional individuals, including two crew members who are experiencing severe respiratory symptoms.

Epidemiological logistics at sea

There are 147 passengers and crew members from 23 countries on board MV Hondius. The vessel is currently anchored off the coast of Cape Verde, and according to an Oceanwide Expeditions spokesperson, the atmosphere on board is calm. The priority is to organize medical evacuation for two ill crew members, which will be carried out using a specialized aircraft, with patients transported directly to Europe.

According to a press release issued by Oceanwide Expeditions, as of Sunday, May 3, the authorities of the Republic of Cape Verde had not agreed to the evacuation of the ill and had not offered medical assistance. The Dutch government is cooperating with the operator and has undertaken the repatriation of individuals showing symptoms of the disease as well as the transport of the bodies of earlier victims to the country.

Representatives of Oceanwide Expeditions assure that the health and safety of passengers and crew are the highest priority, while noting that disembarkation and medical screening of all guests require coordination with local health authorities. Meanwhile, Maria Da Luz, President of the Public Health Institute of the Republic of Cape Verde, announced that passengers will not be allowed to go ashore in order to protect the local population,

As an increasingly likely alternative, sailing to Las Palmas or Tenerife is being considered, where passengers could expect greater support from local authorities.

Hantavirus – rare but dangerous

The first passenger of MV Hondius died on April 11 from an unknown cause at the time, suffering from fever, headaches and diarrhea. His body was removed from the ship 13 days later during docking at a port on the island of Saint Helena. The victim’s spouse, who accompanied the body, died during that journey. Further illnesses on board the cruise ship were not observed until April 27 and May 2, with symptoms including fever, gastrointestinal issues, rapid development of pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Hantavirus spreads through the saliva, feces and urine of rodents. In humans, it causes a dangerous respiratory infection or hemorrhagic fever, but cases of human-to-human transmission are extremely rare. Infection is most often caused by staying in places contaminated by rats or mice.

If infection is confirmed in all ill passengers of MV Hondius, the greatest challenge will be to determine how transmission occurred. Oceanwide Expeditions states that there are no rodents on board the vessel. Since departing from the port of Ushuaia, however, the cruise ship has stopped in ecologically diverse regions such as continental Antarctica, South Georgia, Nightingale Island and Tristan da Cunha.

WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge emphasized that there is currently no reason for panic or for introducing travel restrictions. The situation is also being monitored by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

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main photo: Andrew Peacock/Oceanwide Expeditions