At least 29 passengers disembarked a cruise ship facing a hantavirus outbreak after the death of the first passenger on board, the vessel’s operator said in a statement, which could complicate contact tracing efforts as Dutch officials confirmed a KLM flight attendant was forced to isolate in Amsterdam with symptoms.
Second plane believed to be carrying a sick passenger from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius arrives at the Schiphol airport, near Amsterdam.
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In an update issued early on Thursday, the operator of the cruise ship MV Hondius, Oceanwide Expeditions, said 30 guests disembarked the ship in Saint Helena, the remote British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, on April 24.
Authorities in the Netherlands also confirmed that a KLM flight attendant who was in contact with a now deceased passenger has been hospitalized in Amsterdam with symptoms and is being tested for a hantavirus infection.
A 69-year-old Dutch woman—whose husband died on board the ship—had briefly boarded a KLM flight from Johannesburg on which the now hospitalized attendant was serving on board.
The elderly woman—whose hantavirus infection has been confirmed by authorities—later deboarded the plane after worsening symptoms and died in a hospital in South Africa.
In its update, Oceanwide Expeditions said it is monitoring the cruise ship’s progress as it sails from Cape Verde to the Canary Islands, and the journey is expected to take 3-4 days. “No symptomatic individuals are present on board,” the statement added.
The cruise operator’s update shows that at least six American citizens were among the 29 that disembarked the ship on April 24 in St. Helena. The BBC reported that authorities in Georgia are monitoring two passengers who disembarked from the ship and returned to the state, while Arizona officials are monitoring one passenger. But none of them are reportedly displaying any symptoms, and it's unclear if they have been asked to isolate.
As of Thursday morning, a total of eight cases have been linked to the outbreak on the ship—excluding the KLM flight attendant. This includes five confirmed cases and three suspected cases. Three of the eight people have died so far, but only one of them has been identified as a confirmed hantavirus case. A 70-year-old Dutch man died on April 11, and his body was disembarked from the boat on April 24 in St. Helena along with his wife a 69-year-old woman. While attempting to fly back home from South Africa, the woman also fell severely ill and later died in hospital. She later tested positive for the virus. A German woman later died on board the ship on May 2 and her body still remains on the vessel.
Hantavirus-Infected Cruise Ship Will Dock In Canary Islands—International Passengers Sent Home (Forbes)
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