Hantavirus Cruise Passengers Enter Netherlands As Hospital Quarantines 12 Staff

Dutch authorities have placed hospital staff under quarantine after cruise passengers infected with hantavirus arrived in the Netherlands, following a deadly outbreak on an expedition vessel.

Two planes transporting passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship, which experienced a hantavirus outbreak, arrived in the Netherlands early Tuesday. In response, Dutch health authorities have placed 12 hospital staff members under preventive quarantine.

The flights touched down at Eindhoven Airport just after midnight, bringing with them 28 passengers, among whom were eight Dutch nationals. Other passengers were anticipated to proceed to their home countries from the Netherlands.

The Radboudumc hospital in Nijmegen reported that 12 staff members have been placed in quarantine for six weeks following the handling of blood and urine samples from an infected patient prior to the implementation of stricter safety protocols.

The hospital emphasized that the risk of infection was “very low” and stated that patient care had proceeded without interruption.

On 7 May, Radboudumc admitted a passenger from the Hondius cruise ship who had tested positive for hantavirus.

“We will thoroughly examine the sequence of events to gain insights that will help us prevent this from happening again in the future,” stated Bertine Lahuis, chair of the hospital’s executive board.

Late Monday, the Hondius departed for the Netherlands, carrying 25 crew members along with a doctor and nurse, following the disembarkation of all passengers. The vessel, according to ship owner Oceanwide Expeditions, is anticipated to reach the Netherlands on 17 May.

Since the outbreak began aboard the ship, three individuals—a Dutch couple and a German national—have lost their lives.

Hantavirus is typically transmitted through contact with infected rodents, though there have been rare instances of person-to-person transmission associated with the Andes strain of the virus.

On Monday, the World Health Organization reported seven confirmed cases associated with the outbreak, in addition to two suspected cases. This includes one individual who passed away prior to testing and another on the isolated South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, where testing facilities were not accessible.

A confirmed case included a French passenger who tested positive following the ship’s arrival in the Canary Islands on Sunday.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu stated that the patient is still in intensive care but is currently in stable condition following a brief deterioration in her health.

Spain’s Health Ministry confirmed that one of the 14 Spaniards quarantined at a military hospital in Madrid tested positive for the virus. However, the patient was asymptomatic, and further tests were being conducted.