A crew member of the MV Hondius who disembarked in Spain’s Canary Islands and was repatriated to the Netherlands has tested positive for hantavirus, the World Health Organization said.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Netherlands confirmed the additional case involving a crew member who had disembarked in Tenerife before being transported back and placed under isolation.
“Today, the Netherlands confirmed an additional case among a crew member who disembarked in Tenerife, was repatriated to the Netherlands and has been isolating since then,” Tedros said on Friday.
He said the development brings the total to 12 suspected and confirmed cases, including three deaths, since the outbreak was first reported.
Tedros added that no new deaths have been reported since May 2, when the outbreak was initially notified to WHO.
“We continue to urge affected countries to monitor all passengers and crew carefully for the remainder of the quarantine period,” he said.
According to WHO, more than 600 contacts are being traced across 30 countries, while a small number of high-risk contacts remain under investigation.
Dutch health authorities confirmed that the infected crew member has been hospitalized and placed in isolation as a precaution.
The RIVM (Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) said the Andes virus strain was detected in one quarantined individual in the Netherlands, with results confirmed by two laboratories.
Authorities said the crew member had been under home quarantine and emphasized that the risk of further spread in the country remains very low.
The MV Hondius departed Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1, sailing through remote islands in the South Atlantic before heading to Cape Verde and Tenerife, and later docking in Rotterdam, where crew members were placed under quarantine.
Hantavirus, which is spread primarily by rodents, is a rare disease with no approved vaccine or specific treatment. The Andes strain is the only known variant capable of human-to-human transmission.
