There were no Taiwanese aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, on which a deadly hantavirus outbreak occurred, despite earlier reports, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said today.
The CDC said that it verified with the WHO and International Health Regulations focal points in the Netherlands and Argentina yesterday that no passengers or crew were Taiwanese.
A Spanish passenger told Spanish daily El Pais that 23 passengers of the Dutch luxury cruise ship disembarked at St Helena and returned to their home countries, one of whom was Taiwanese, though that has been found to be misinformation, the agency said.
Photo: Reuters
The CDC said it has since confirmed through Argentina and the WHO that none of the passengers who disembarked at St Helena on April 24 were Taiwanese.
It would continue working closely with the WHO and relevant countries to safeguard public health, the CDC added.
The Dutch-flagged cruise ship, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 on a voyage across the South Atlantic, carrying 149 passengers and crew members.
Five confirmed and three suspected cases have been reported overall, including three deaths, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists in Geneva, Switzerland, today.
More hantavirus cases could emerge, but the outbreak is expected to be limited if precautions are taken, the WHO said.
The WHO assessed that the most likely scenario for the outbreak was that a passenger became infected with hantavirus through environmental exposure while traveling in Argentina or elsewhere in the region, and boarded the vessel during the incubation period, the CDC said yesterday.
The incubation period for hantavirus can be up to six weeks, the WHO says.
Additional reporting by AFP
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