There is “no sign” of a larger hantavirus outbreak after the evacuation of the last passengers from a disease-stricken cruise ship, the head of the UN health agency has said.
However, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that “the situation could change” and that more confirmed virus cases could emerge.
The MV Hondius left Tenerife on Monday and is sailing to the Dutch port of Rotterdam. Two flights carrying the final 28 passengers landed in nearby Eindhoven on Tuesday.
Three people have died after travelling on the ship. A French national and a Spaniard who previously returned home have tested positive. The WHO has confirmed nine cases, with two others suspected.
The French woman is in intensive care in a Paris hospital. Doctors say she has the most severe form of the disease and is being treated with an artificial lung.
The Spanish patient is reported to have mild respiratory symptoms.
Twelve employees at a Dutch hospital are now in quarantine over possible exposure to the virus after treating one of the evacuated passengers.
The hospital in Nijmegen said the move was precautionary because the workers did not follow strict protocols while handling the patient’s blood and urine samples.
Concerns remain despite low outbreak risk
During a press conference in Madrid, Ghebreyesus said there was currently no indication of a wider outbreak.
He added that the situation could still change because of the virus’s long incubation period, meaning more cases could appear in the coming weeks.
He also stressed that efforts to contain the outbreak were still ongoing.
Hantaviruses are usually carried by rodents, although human transmission of the Andes strain is possible. The WHO believes some passengers may have contracted the virus in South America.
Symptoms include fever, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, and shortness of breath.
WHO officials previously said the risk of a major outbreak remained very low.
Spain’s health ministry said one of the 14 Spaniards quarantining in Madrid after evacuation from the vessel had tested positive for hantavirus.
The passenger reportedly has a low-grade fever and mild respiratory symptoms but remains in stable condition.
In Italy, biological samples are being taken from a man with symptoms who travelled on the same plane as a woman who later died from the virus.
The samples are expected to be sent to Rome’s Spallanzani infectious diseases hospital for further testing.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said the situation in France was under control.
French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said one French woman remained in intensive care, while four other repatriated citizens tested negative in hospital. Another 22 contact cases were being isolated for at least two weeks.
Two British nationals with confirmed cases are currently receiving treatment in the Netherlands and South Africa.
Ship heads to Rotterdam after evacuations
The Dutch-flagged vessel is expected to arrive in Rotterdam on 17 May after a six-day journey. The ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said sanitation procedures would be carried out upon arrival.
The final six passengers, including four Australians, one Briton, and one New Zealander, left the ship on Monday along with several crew members.
Overall, 122 passengers and crew members have been repatriated to the Netherlands and their home countries through government-chartered flights.
As of Monday evening, 27 people remained on board, including 25 crew members and two medical staff.
Those remaining included nationals from the Philippines, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Russia, and Poland.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry said the Ukrainian crew members would assist in transferring the ship to the Netherlands before entering quarantine upon arrival. Officials added that none had shown symptoms of illness.
Seventeen Filipino crew members arrived in the Netherlands on Tuesday morning, according to the Philippine Embassy.
A 70-year-old Dutch man was the first passenger to die on board the MV Hondius on 11 April. He had developed symptoms earlier and is believed to have been the first infected person in the outbreak, although he died before testing could be carried out.
His 69-year-old wife later left the ship on St Helena and travelled to South Africa, where she died two days later in a Johannesburg clinic.
A German woman also died on board the cruise ship on 2 May.
Both women were confirmed hantavirus cases.
The MV Hondius had been carrying 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries after departing from Ushuaia, Argentina, on 1 April.
