The MV Hondius, a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, has docked in the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection. The vessel carries 25 crew members and two medical personnel, after all passengers were disembarked at other locations. According to operator Oceanwide Expeditions, no one on board is currently experiencing symptoms.

Near the docking site, authorities set up white containers along the water. The crew will enter immediate quarantine; those who cannot be immediately repatriated will spend their quarantine in these containers. Three passengers have died, including a Dutch couple believed to be the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America.

The MV Hondius spent the last six days sailing from the Canary Islands, where remaining passengers were evacuated and flew to over 20 countries for quarantine. At least 11 infections were reported on the ship, nine confirmed. The Public Health Agency of Canada reported that one of four Canadians in isolation after leaving the ship tested positive on Sunday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) maintains its assessment of the outbreak as “low risk,” stating: “While additional cases may still occur among passengers and crew members exposed before containment measures were implemented, the risk of onward transmission is expected to be reduced following disembarkation and the implementation of control measures.”

Crew members unable to return home will be quarantined in the Netherlands. After full disembarkation, the ship will be decontaminated per Dutch public health guidelines. The Pasteur Institute in France sequenced the Andes virus from a French passenger and found it matches known South American strains with no evidence of increased transmissibility or danger.

Source: www.aljazeera.com