Spain reports new hantavirus case in passenger evacuated from cruise ship

"A Spanish passenger evacuated from the cruise ship at the centre of a hantavirus outbreak has tested positive for the virus, Spain's Ministry of Health has announced, with the World Health Organization (WHO) confirming 11 cases, including three people from the cruise who have died. The man who was confirmed infected on Tuesday is one of more than 120 passengers and crew members evacuated from the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, whose fate has caused international alarm after the passengers' deaths."

"A military hospital in Madrid is quarantining 14 Spaniards who were removed from the ship on Sunday, with all but one testing negative for the hantavirus. The patient who provisionally tested positive for hantavirus yesterday has been confirmed as positive, the Health Ministry said. Yesterday the patient had a slight fever and minor respiratory symptoms, although at present he is stable and without any evident clinical deterioration."

"The WHO said nine of the 11 confirmed cases involved the rare Andes variant of the virus, which usually spreads among rodents but is transmissible between humans and has no vaccine or treatment. After evacuating its 87 passengers and 35 crew members, the cruise is now sailing back to the Netherlands, where it is expected to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected."

"These numbers have changed little over the past week thanks to the governments of multiple countries and partners, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general. At the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak, he said. But of course the situation could change, and given the long incubation period of the virus, it's possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks."

A Spanish passenger evacuated from the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius tested positive for hantavirus. Spain’s Ministry of Health reported that the World Health Organization confirmed 11 cases, including three people from the cruise who died. Fourteen Spaniards removed from the ship were quarantined in a military hospital in Madrid, with all but one testing negative; the remaining patient’s provisional positive result was confirmed. The WHO reported that nine of the 11 cases involved the Andes variant, which typically spreads among rodents but can transmit between humans and has no vaccine or treatment. The cruise returned to the Netherlands for cleaning and disinfection, while WHO reported no sign of a larger outbreak, though more cases could appear due to a long incubation period.

Read at www.aljazeera.com