Countries worldwide yesterday scrambled to prevent further spread of the hantavirus, after an outbreak on a cruise ship, by tracking those who had already disembarked before the virus was detected and anyone in close contact with them since.
Three people — a Dutch couple and a German national — died in the outbreak on the MV Hondius.
Eight people, including a Swiss citizen, are suspected to have contracted the virus, which is usually spread by rodents, but can in rare cases be transmitted among people, the WHO said.
Photo: AFP
All passengers who disembarked in St Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, where the ship made a stop on April 24, have been contacted, including people from at least 12 countries, among them seven British citizens and six from the US, the ship’s operator said.
Experts have stressed that contagion is rare, but the outbreak has put health authorities on high alert.
The US’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was closely monitoring the situation, adding that the risk to the US public was extremely low.
The Georgia Department of Public Health said it was monitoring two asymptomatic residents who had returned home after disembarking from the cruise ship.
The Arizona Department of Health Services said in a separate statement it was monitoring one resident, who was a passenger on the ship, and not symptomatic.
California is monitoring an undisclosed number of residents who had also been on the ship, the New York Times reported.
One French citizen has been in contact with a person who had fallen ill, but was not showing symptoms, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said.
Oceanwide Expeditions said it was working to establish details of all passengers and crew who embarked and disembarked on stops since March 20.
The Dutch couple who have died, and who are believed to be the first hantavirus cases of this outbreak, boarded on April 1.
Dutch airline KLM on Wednesday said it had taken the Dutch woman off a plane in Johannesburg on April 25 due to her deteriorating medical condition.
She died before she could reach the Netherlands.
Broadcaster RTL said that a KLM stewardess who had been in contact with her has been admitted to a hospital in Amsterdam after showing possible hantavirus symptoms.
The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport did not confirm that the woman being tested is a KLM stewardess, and neither did the airline.
However, crew and passengers who helped the Dutch woman who passed away are being called daily for health checks, Dutch authorities told public broadcaster NOS.
The virus found in the victims has been confirmed as the Andes strain, which can, in rare cases, spread among humans through close contact.
The Argentine Ministry of Health said it would carry out rodent trapping and analysis in the southern city of Ushuaia, the origin point of the cruise ship.
Three people were evacuated from the ship on Wednesday. Two have been admitted to a hospital in the Netherlands, while the other was transferred to Germany for medical care.
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