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Rare Andean Virus Detected on Antarctic Cruise Ship
Amsterdam: International health authorities are closely monitoring a rare virus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship after officials confirmed that infected passengers carried the Andean strain, a rare form of hantavirus capable of spreading between humans through extremely close contact.
The vessel, carrying nearly 150 passengers and crew members, had departed from Ushuaia in southern Argentina before several people onboard reportedly developed symptoms during the voyage.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated on Wednesday that it was tracking the situation, particularly because American travellers were among those onboard. However, the agency stressed that the overall risk to the public remains “extremely low.”
Medical experts have also emphasized that human-to-human transmission of the Andean strain is considered very uncommon and usually requires prolonged close exposure.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed that one French citizen had contact with an infected individual but is not currently showing symptoms.
Meanwhile, Argentina’s health ministry announced plans to conduct rodent trapping and laboratory analysis in Ushuaia, the city where the cruise began, as rodents are known carriers of hantaviruses.
Three infected passengers were evacuated from the ship on Wednesday for urgent medical care. One patient was admitted to a hospital in the Netherlands, while the another was transferred to Germany.
A third patient experienced transport delays after an issue with a life-support system onboard the medical flight.
The MV Hondius is expected to arrive in Tenerife, Spain, on Saturday. Spanish authorities said non-Spanish passengers will be repatriated if healthy, while 14 Spanish travellers will undergo quarantine at a military hospital in Madrid.
