The cruise ship at the the center of adeadly hantavirus outbreakfaced a new challenge Wednesday as a local leader opposedallowing it to dock in Spain, while three passengers were medically evacuated to the Netherlands.
Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.
Authorities confirmed the Andes strain, which can be spread among people, was identified in passengers aboard the Hondius. A man who had traveled on the ship was being treated for hantavirus in the Swiss city of Zurich, authorities there confirmed.
The Swiss government said in a statement there was no threat to the wider population.
The World Health Organization said the patient responded to an email from the cruise operator and went to the hospital.
The WHO confirmed that there were now three confirmed cases and five suspected cases of hantavirus, which is typically contracted through contact with organic matter from infected rodents.
Three passengers have died in the outbreak and the WHO said in an update Wednesday that there were so far eight cases, three of which are confirmed as hantavirus by laboratory testing.
The WHO also confirmed this outbreak is the Andes strain of the virus, which is known to be transmissible between people and is endemic in parts of Argentina, where the luxury cruise ship began its voyage.
Hantavirus is potentially fatal and has no treatments. But the WHO has repeatedly stressed there is a low threat to the public from this outbreak.
WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove told a news conference Tuesday that Hantavirus, unlike influenza or Covid-19, is only transmissible from person to person through close contact, such as sharing a bed or food.
Source: Drudge Report
