Eight people became infected with hantavirus on board the MV Hondius. Three of them died. Where did the disease come from, why is it dangerous and who is at risk?

Where did the disease come from, why is it dangerous and who is at risk?

An outbreak of a dangerous strain of hantavirus on board the cruise ship MV Hondius killed three people. In total, at least eight people are infected. At first, the ship's crew did not suspect that we were talking about a dangerous infectious disease, and therefore did not declare quarantine. Some passengers got off the ship and could become carriers of infection. Read more in the material “New Europe”.

Flash on the liner. A major outbreak of hantavirus occurred on board the Dutch liner MV Hondius, which set off on a cruise from Argentina to Antarctica on April 1. According to the latest data, three people have died as a result of the disease - an elderly couple from the Netherlands and a German citizen.

In total, hantavirus was detected in eight people. There were 149 people on board from 23 countries, including a Russian and five Ukrainian citizens.

Spread of the virus. One of the ship's passengers, a 70-year-old resident of the Netherlands, felt unwell on April 6, six days after the ship left Argentina. Five days later he died. His 69-year-old wife was also on board.

The crew of the liner did not suspect that the man had become infected with hantavirus, and therefore did not declare quarantine. On April 24, 30 passengers on the ship disembarked at St. Helena and dispersed to different countries. They could become carriers of infection.

Among those who landed was the wife of the deceased Dutchman - she took his body. At that time, she already showed symptoms of the disease. During the flight to South Africa, her condition deteriorated sharply. She died on April 26 right at the Johannesburg airport. It later turned out that she also became infected with hantavirus. After this episode, the World Health Organization sounded the alarm.

The third victim was a resident of Germany. She was also on board the cruise. The woman felt unwell on April 28, and on May 2 she died. It was after her death that the strictest quarantine was introduced on the liner.

Hantavirus was also detected in those people who were not on the ship. Thus, the first case of hantavirus infection was recorded in Israel. It is believed that the patient may have contracted the infection during his stay in Eastern Europe several months ago.

Where is the liner now? In early May, the ship's crew planned to dock and disembark passengers in Cape Verde, but the authorities of the island state prohibited this after conducting a “technical and epidemiological assessment.” At the same time, they allowed three passengers with suspected illness to evacuate. They were sent to the Netherlands.

Later, Spanish authorities allowed the liner to enter a port in the Canary Islands. The ship is expected to dock in the port of Tenerife on the afternoon of May 10.

The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, said that the Spanish authorities did not coordinate this decision with him. He accused them of incompetence.

What is hantavirus and where did it come from? Hantavirus is a pulmonary disease transmitted to humans from rodents through direct contact or through saliva and urine.

In this case, we are talking about the South American strain of the Andes hantavirus, which can also be transmitted through close physical contact between people. However, it is not spread by airborne droplets.

Hantavirus symptoms. With hantavirus, the patient experiences the same symptoms as during the flu - high fever, muscle pain, etc. In this case, the infection subsequently affects the lungs and kidneys.

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is fatal in approximately 50% of cases. No universal medicines or vaccines have been invented for this virus yet; doctors can only support the functioning of the affected organs.

Are we facing a pandemic? The World Health Organization emphasizes that hantavirus is not similar to coronavirus, and humanity is not facing a pandemic because it is not spread by airborne droplets.