US and French authorities have confirmed new hantavirus cases among passengers repatriated from the cruise ship MV Hondius, which has been linked to a deadly outbreak near Spain’s Canary Islands.
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, one American passenger tested positive for the virus after returning home. Another US passenger has also developed mild symptoms. Officials said both individuals travelled in special biocontainment units as a precaution.
In France, Health Minister Stéphanie Rist confirmed that a French woman isolating in Paris had tested positive and that her condition was worsening. French health authorities have already traced 22 people who had close contact with her.
The MV Hondius remains docked in the Canary Islands while international evacuation and repatriation operations continue. More than 90 passengers have now left the vessel and returned to their home countries under medical supervision.
Three passengers who travelled on the ship have died, including a Dutch couple and a German woman. Two of the deaths were officially linked to hantavirus infection.
Health experts believe some passengers contracted the Andes strain of hantavirus during a South American trip before boarding the cruise. Unlike most hantaviruses, the Andes strain can spread between humans in rare situations.
Symptoms of the disease include fever, severe fatigue, muscle pain, stomach problems, vomiting, diarrhoea and breathing difficulties.
Despite the new infections, international health officials continue to stress that the risk of a large-scale outbreak remains low.
All 17 American citizens repatriated from the ship are expected to undergo medical assessments at a specialised health facility in Nebraska. Seven other Americans who had already returned earlier are also being monitored.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has recommended a 42-day isolation period for passengers leaving the MV Hondius.
In the UK, 20 British passengers have been placed in quarantine after arriving from Tenerife. No symptoms have been reported among them so far.
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