LONDON: At least two Indian nationals are among the crew members onboard the Dutch vessel MV Hondius, which has reported a hantavirus outbreak with five confirmed cases and three deaths so far, according to a BBC report.
The luxury cruise ship, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, began its journey on April 1 from Ushuaia and is expected to arrive in the Canary Islands on May 10.
Around 150 passengers and crew members from 28 countries were initially onboard the vessel, but dozens disembarked on Saint Helena on April 24, according to the report.
The BBC reported that among the 28 nationalities onboard, 38 people are from the Philippines, 31 from the United Kingdom, 23 from the United States, 16 from the Netherlands, 14 from Spain, nine from Germany, six from Canada, and two crew members from India.
The World Health Organization said on Thursday that five of the eight suspected hantavirus cases had been confirmed.
A 69-year-old Dutch woman confirmed to have the virus has died. Her Dutch husband and a German woman were also among the fatalities, while investigations into their cases are continuing.
Maria van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the WHO, said the outbreak is not comparable to the COVID-19 pandemic because hantavirus spreads through “close, intimate contact”.
“This is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very, very differently,” Maria van Kerkhove said during a media briefing. Authorities have reportedly asked everyone onboard the MV Hondius to wear masks.
She added that those caring for suspected cases should wear a higher level of personal protective equipment.
According to the WHO, hantavirus typically spreads through rodents, but in the latest outbreak, human-to-human transmission has been documented for the first time.
Meanwhile, health authorities are tracing dozens of passengers who recently disembarked from the vessel. Oceanwide Expeditions said 29 passengers from at least 12 nationalities had left the ship in Saint Helena.
The company also confirmed that the body of one deceased passenger, now identified as a Dutch man, was taken off the vessel. Seven British nationals were among those who disembarked from the cruise liner.
