MV Hondius Hantavirus Outbreak: Five Cases Confirmed by WHO
The MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak has now confirmed five cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced this on Thursday. Two other people died on the ship. Their deaths are under investigation. A 69-year-old Dutch woman later died in South Africa. She was among those who left the cruise. The ship set sail from southern Argentina a month ago.
Conflicting Numbers on Departures
The ship’s operator said 29 passengers left on 24 April. These passengers were from at least 12 different nationalities. However, the Dutch government gave a different figure of 40.A Swiss national who later tested positive for hantavirus also left the ship. That happened in the British Overseas Territory. Meanwhile, three other people were evacuated on Wednesday. They are British, Dutch, and German nationals.
WHO Low Risk Assessment
The WHO said the situation is serious. However, it “assesses the public health risk as low”. Therefore, the general public should not panic.
