The MV Hondius, a cruise ship caught in the grips of a lethal hantavirus outbreak, is set to dock in the port city of Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Monday morning. This marks the end of a six-day voyage from the Canary Islands, where the remaining passengers disembarked under strict safety protocols. They were escorted by personnel clad in full-body protective gear before boarding flights to over 20 countries, where they are now under quarantine.
The World Health Organization has reported that the outbreak aboard the vessel has resulted in 11 cases, nine of which have been confirmed. Tragically, three passengers have succumbed to the virus, including a Dutch couple believed to have contracted it during a visit to South America.
In its return journey from Tenerife, the MV Hondius sailed along the African and European coastlines, carrying 25 crew members and two medical staff. According to Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship’s operator, none of those on board are currently exhibiting symptoms of the virus.
The Dutch health ministry announced last week that crew members who cannot return to their home countries will be quarantined in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, approximately two dozen passengers and crew have already been isolated in the Netherlands, having arrived via a series of flights over the past two weeks.
The vessel has made the journey from Tenerife up the coast of Africa and Europe with 25 crew members and two medical personnel. According to the ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions, no one on board is experiencing any symptoms.
Crew members who are unable to return home will be quarantined in the Netherlands, the Dutch health ministry said last week. Some two dozen passengers and crew are already in quarantine in the Netherlands, after arriving in the country on a series of flights over the previous two weeks.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said Sunday that one of the four Canadians in isolation after leaving the ship had tested positive. The case was not yet reflected in the WHO data.
Eighteen Americans are currently under observation at specialized healthcare facilities in the United States designed to treat people with dangerous infectious diseases.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, the public health officer for the province of British Columbia, said Saturday the person had received a “presumptive positive” but further testing would be conducted at the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg.
After everyone on board has disembarked, the ship will be decontaminated based on Dutch public health guidelines. “Personal protective measures are being taken to ensure that the cleaners do not need to quarantine after the cleaning,” the health ministry said in a letter to the Dutch parliament last week.
Public health officials will inspect the vessel before it is allowed to sail again. The hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius is the first known case on a cruise ship.
The Dutch company that owns the cruise ship said it doesn’t foresee any changes to its operations. It has an Arctic cruise setting sail from Keflavik, Iceland, on May 29.
France’s Pasteur Institute said on Saturday it has fully sequenced the Andes virus detected in a French passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship and found that it matched viruses already known in South America, with no evidence so far of new characteristics that would make it more transmissible or more dangerous.
