The Spanish government announced on Monday the confirmation of a new hantavirus case linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, previously identified as the source of an outbreak that led to three fatalities earlier in the month.
A Spanish citizen, who had been under preventative quarantine in a Madrid hospital, tested positive for the virus, as reported by the Health Ministry. This new case involves a ‘close contact’ of an individual associated with the initial outbreak. The patient has been receiving clinical monitoring and has been isolated at Gómez Ulla Hospital.
The patient’s positive diagnosis was identified amidst regular testing of contacts related to the outbreak.
Following the positive result, the patient was moved to the high-level isolation unit at Gómez Ulla Hospital, where they are under specialized medical care.
Hantavirus is common in certain parts of South America but remains infrequent among humans. It has never been previously recorded on a cruise ship. Global health authorities, including those in the U.S., have been making efforts to ease concerns regarding a potential wider spread.
The Spanish Health Ministry conveyed that the latest case does not alter the risk to the general population and that current epidemiological response measures remain appropriate. This is due to the fact that the case involves an individual already within their operational isolation system.
Hantavirus has an incubation period of up to six weeks. Since May 2, when the outbreak was first reported to the World Health Organization, there have been no additional deaths.
Last week, Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed that 20 crew members and two medical staff disembarked from the cruise ship in the Netherlands. The ship concluded its seven-week, 8,500-mile voyage, during which there were 11 infections and three deaths caused by the rare disease. A majority of the passengers, including 18 Americans, are currently under quarantine in their respective home countries.
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