Hantavirus cases on MV Hondius rise to 11
- World Health Organization data published on May 13 said the MV Hondius outbreak had reached 11 cases, including three deaths, among passengers. - Eight cases were laboratory-confirmed for Andes virus, two were probable, and one U.S. case was inconclusive and undergoing retesting, WHO said. - CDC said exposed passengers are under public-health monitoring, with guidance updated as testing and contact tracing continue.
The World Health Organization said on May 13 that 11 cases linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship had been identified, including three deaths, in the latest update on a multi-country hantavirus cluster. The ship operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, had earlier said 114 guests boarded in Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 and 30 guests disembarked on Saint Helena on April 24. Health authorities in multiple countries are now tracing passengers and monitoring exposed travelers after the outbreak was tied to Andes virus, a hantavirus strain that can spread person to person. WHO said the global risk remained low, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the risk to the American public was “extremely low.” ### How did the case count reach 11? WHO said the total rose to 11 as of May 13 after two additional confirmed cases were reported from France and Spain and one U.S. case returned an inconclusive result pending further testing. The agency said eight cases were laboratory-confirmed for Andes virus infection, two were probable and one remained inconclusive. (who.int) The latest French case became symptomatic during repatriation, according to WHO. The Spanish case tested positive after arrival following repatriation but was asymptomatic at the time of the WHO update, while the U.S. passenger was asymptomatic and had one positive and one negative laboratory result from different labs. ### Why are health agencies treating everyone on board as exposed? (who.int) CDC guidance dated May 10 said anyone aboard the MV Hondius from April 6 through disembarkation should be treated as having had a high-risk exposure. The agency said that standard reflects the likelihood of prolonged close contact, shared living spaces and the difficulty of reconstructing every interaction after the voyage. (who.int) The same CDC guidance said Andes virus is the only hantavirus known to spread person to person. It listed an incubation period of 4 to 42 days, with a median of 18 days, and said compatible illness can begin with fever, muscle pain, chills, gastrointestinal symptoms or respiratory symptoms. ### What do officials think started the outbreak? WHO said the current working hypothesis is that the first case was infected before boarding the ship through exposure on land. (cdc.gov) The agency said investigations with authorities in Argentina and Chile were continuing to determine the source of the outbreak and the circumstances of exposure. Oceanwide Expeditions said the first confirmed hantavirus case was not reported until May 4, weeks after one passenger died on board on April 11 and the body was later disembarked on Saint Helena. (cdc.gov) The company said 30 guests left the ship on Saint Helena on April 24 and those travelers had been contacted. ### Where did the ship go, and what happened to sick passengers? (who.int) Oceanwide Expeditions said on May 7 that three individuals had been transferred off the ship on May 6 by medicalized aircraft and taken to the Netherlands for specialist care and screening. The company said two of those people were symptomatic and one was asymptomatic. (oceanwide-expeditions.com) The operator also said the ship left Cape Verde on May 6 and sailed to Granadilla in Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands. CDC said on May 8 that U.S. epidemiologists and medical staff had been deployed to the Canary Islands to assess American passengers before repatriation. ### What is happening now for passengers in the United States? (oceanwide-expeditions.com) CDC said on May 12 that no Andes virus cases had been confirmed in the United States as a result of the outbreak. The agency said it had repatriated passengers to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit and Emory University Hospital in Atlanta and had worked with health departments to confirm that exposed passengers were being monitored by public health officials. (oceanwide-expeditions.com) WHO said National IHR Focal Points had been informed through International Health Regulations channels and were supporting international contact tracing. CDC said its interim guidance could be updated as new information becomes available, and WHO said it would continue to monitor the epidemiological situation and revise its risk assessment as needed. (who.int) (cdc.gov)
