Overview
- The expedition ship Hondius, which docked in Rotterdam on Monday, saw its final 27 people leave for quarantine and a deceased German passenger taken for cremation under infection-control rules.
- Officials identified the Andes virus as the cause, a rare hantavirus that can spread through close contact, with three deaths linked to the voyage and varying case counts reported by outlets.
- Argentine field teams are trapping rodents around Ushuaia to test for the virus, with up to 150 traps set and lab results expected in the coming weeks.
- The UK confirmed it received the antiviral favipiravir from Japan for possible use, though the drug is experimental against hantaviruses and not approved in Britain.
- There is no broadly available vaccine for Andes virus, and researchers say development lags because hantaviruses differ by region and human outbreaks are too small for large trials.