Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship
On Thursday, Sky News talked to Martin Antsee, a retired police officer who was aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius during a serious hantavirus outbreak. Antsee has been airlifted to the Netherlands for treatment and is currently in isolation.
“I’m fine. I don’t feel too bad,” Antsee mentioned in his conversation with Sky News.
“There’s still a lot of testing to do,” he added. “I don’t know how long I’ll be in the hospital. I’m in isolation right now.”
According to Antsee, doctors expect to have “more clarity” about his condition later this week.
His wife, Nicola, shared that their family went through a “very traumatic few days.” She mentioned, “The scary thing about this virus is that symptoms worsen quickly, so it’s been a little up and down for him. I don’t think he’s in immediate danger right now, but it was bad.”
“He’s relieved now that he’s off the ship. His symptoms were fairly mild, but they got a little more serious and now he’s stable again,” she noted.
At 56 years old, Mr. Antsee worked as a cruise expedition guide and is one of three people who were evacuated from the Hondius after the hantavirus outbreak was detected on board. There were 19 passengers and four crew members on the ship. A 69-year-old British man was taken to a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, for urgent care and is still in intensive care. Dr. Maria van Kerkhove from WHO mentioned that his condition is “improving,” and another British passenger taken to the Netherlands is also reported as “stable.”
After the ship docked in St. Helena on April 24, seven British passengers disembarked. Two have returned to the UK and are now “self-isolating,” while four remaining passengers are in St. Helena collaborating with local health authorities.
A seventh British passenger was thought to be missing until Thursday when it was announced he was traced to a location outside the UK.
Out of the 30 individuals who set sail from St. Helena, contact tracing is complicated because a Dutch woman who disembarked after showing symptoms traveled to Johannesburg. She may have potentially exposed other passengers and crew on the flight. Unfortunately, she passed away a day after arriving and tested positive for hantavirus.
Professor Robin May, Chief Scientific Officer for UKHSA, indicated on Thursday that no British passengers onboard the Hondius have tested positive for the virus yet.
He added that efforts are underway to repatriate those still on board, and it’s expected they will need to self-isolate upon their return. A total quarantine period of 45 days may be recommended.
Prime Minister Theresa May mentioned, “We believe the risk of infection from asymptomatic people is extremely low.”
Hantavirus can lead to severe respiratory problems and is quite deadly, with symptoms sometimes taking weeks to emerge. Currently, there is no known treatment for the virus.
Experts highlight that only one strain of hantavirus transmits between humans, and it appears that the “Andean strain” is the one involved in this situation. While this strain requires close contact for transmission, it is not as broadly infectious as other viruses.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus assessed the public health risk from this outbreak as “low.” He pointed out that the source of the outbreak was traced to two individuals traveling in South America, where they likely came into contact with infected rodents.
Hantavirus can remain dormant in human hosts for up to eight weeks, leaving the possibility for more infections to arise in the near future.
As of the latest reports, three individuals aboard the Hondius were confirmed infected, with five additional suspected cases. Three crew members have died, although only one death has been officially linked to hantavirus so far.
In the midst of these developments, the head of civil protection in Spain, Virginia Balcones, stated that the U.S. government is ready to send planes to bring citizens back home directly.
