Overview
- Rotterdam‑Rijnmond public health officials completed a targeted final inspection on May 29 and declared the ship free to return to service after systematic deep cleaning and rodent checks.
- Health agencies link 13 hantavirus cases to the voyage, including three deaths, and WHO and national authorities continue case monitoring through the virus’s roughly 42‑day incubation window.
- Oceanwide Expeditions says external biosecurity teams treated all eight decks with high‑temperature steam and registered disinfectants, declared the vessel rodent‑free, and will begin sailings from June 13 with a different crew.
- Eighteen exposed Americans were held at the federal quarantine unit in Nebraska; five left to complete home monitoring under strict state oversight while others remain in the facility or choose to stay for the full 42 days.
- Investigations continue into how exposure occurred, including rodent trapping and review of passengers’ visits in Ushuaia, and officials warn there is no vaccine or specific antiviral so containment relies on testing, quarantine and supportive care.