Ahantavirus outbreak linked to an Antarctic expedition cruisehas prompted international health investigations after several passengers aboard the MV Hondius fell ill during a voyage through the South Atlantic and Antarctic region. The Dutch-flagged vessel was later diverted to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, where passengers requiring medical attention were evacuated.
The outbreak has been linked to at least three deaths, including a Dutch couple and a German national, according to international reporting. Health agencies in several countries have since beguntracing passengers and reconstructing travel routesconnected to the expedition.
While online speculation suggested the outbreak may have been linked to melting Antarctic ice or so-called 'ancient pathogens', health officials and researchers have stated there isno evidence supporting those claims. Investigators are instead focusing on possible mainland exposure before passengers boarded the vessel in Ushuaia, Argentina.
The MV Hondius departed from Ushuaia, often described as the gateway to Antarctica, before travelling through Antarctic waters and remote Atlantic islands. Operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, the vessel specialises in polar expedition travel through Antarctic and Arctic regions.
Authorities in Argentina are examining whether passengers may have been exposed to hantavirus before boarding the ship. Investigators are reportedly focusing on areas near Ushuaia where rodents carrying the virus may have been present, including landfill sites that attract wildlife.
South Africa says British national critical after hantavirus case on antarctic cruisehttps://t.co/iFXM806V8fhttps://t.co/iFXM806V8f
A fatal hantavirus outbreak on the Antarctic cruise liner MV Hondius is thought to have started on a birdwatching excursion to southern Argentina.Leo Schilperoord, a 70-year-old Dutch ornithologist, most certainly got the Andes strain on April 1 after visiting a…pic.twitter.com/2FmbGMRD7F
Hantavirus is typically spread through exposure to infected rodent urine, droppings or saliva. According to health authorities, the virus is not generally transmitted through casual contact between people, and officials have stated that the wider public risk remains low.
Local health officials in Tierra del Fuego have stressed that no confirmed local outbreak has been identified in the region.Juan Facundo Petrina, the province's Director General of Epidemiology, reportedly said the rodent species most commonly associated with hantavirus is not native to the island area surrounding Ushuaia.
Although scientists have rejected claims linking the outbreak directly to melting Antarctic ice, researchers say changing ecosystems and increased tourism may create more opportunities for contact between humans and disease-carrying wildlife.
Source: International Business Times UK
