Particle.news
Download on the App Store

WHO Confirms 11 Hantavirus Cases Tied to Cruise Ship Hondius

WHO urges six-week monitoring to catch late cases.

Overview

  • WHO, which updated figures Tuesday, now counts 11 cases linked to the Hondius, including nine confirmed infections and three early deaths among passengers and crew.
  • After the last passengers left Tenerife Monday, the Hondius set course for Rotterdam for disinfection and for authorities to remove the deceased passenger.
  • Several evacuees tested positive after leaving the ship, including a French woman, a U.S. passenger, and a Spanish man who is stable in a Madrid hospital.
  • Health agencies judge the community risk as low because the Andes hantavirus usually spreads through close, prolonged contact rather than casual exposure.
  • Authorities have isolated cases and placed passengers and contacts under quarantine, with monitoring advised through June 21 due to an incubation period of up to about six weeks.