A passenger who was aboard a hantavirus-infected cruise ship is in quarantine in Taiwan and has so far tested negative for hantavirus and Andes virus, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said today.
The traveler arrived in Taiwan on Thursday last week, the CDC said.
As they had been aboard the hantavirus-affected cruise, the agency said it received an alert from the traveler’s home country, New Zealand, on Wednesday, and immediately launched epidemic response mechanisms, sending the person to a hospital for quarantine and testing.
Photo: Hou Chia-yu, Taipei Times
After taking polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests of their blood, urine, saliva and mucus, results last night all returned negative for hantavirus and Andes virus, and the passenger poses no infection risk, it added.
As the passenger’s last known exposure date was April 25 and hantavirus has an incubation period of up to 42 days, they would be kept under observation until June 6, CDC Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said.
The passenger is expected to be discharged from the hospital the following day, after which they would be able to leave Taiwan, he said.
If they need to go outside during the monitoring period, they would be required to wear an N95 respirator and be accompanied by healthcare personnel, who must also wear N95 masks, isolation gowns and protective eyewear, he added.
The person would be responsible for their own medical bills, Lo said, although the New Zealand government may offer assistance.
Shortly after setting sail from Argentina on April 1, the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius cruise ship experienced an outbreak of hantavirus, which as of Wednesday had caused three deaths among a total of 11 cases, the WHO said.
Hantavirus usually spreads from rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between people.
However, the Andes virus detected on the cruise ship outbreak might be able to spread between people in rare cases, the organization said.
Lo warned the public to implement rodent control measures and avoid contact with rodents and their waste to reduce the risk of infection.
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