A hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius has left three passengers dead and four medically evacuated, sparking a global contact tracing operation across the UK, South Africa, the Netherlands, the US, and Switzerland. The ship set sail from Argentina one month ago.
Health experts emphasize the risk to the general public is low. The World Health Organization's Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove stated, "This is not Covid, this is not influenza." The Andes strain of hantavirus is not highly infectious and spreads through close contact, not casual social interaction.
Symptoms, which appear two to four weeks after exposure, include fever, fatigue, muscle aches, and shortness of breath. There is no specific treatment, but early hospital support improves survival.
The MV Hondius is now heading toward Spain's Canary Islands. Remaining passengers and crew will be flown to their home countries. The UK Health Security Agency advises that British passengers self-isolate for 45 days. Two Britons who left the ship at St. Helena are voluntarily self-isolating in the UK; five others have not yet returned.
In the US, health officials in Georgia and Arizona are monitoring three passengers who disembarked, all currently symptom-free.