Get you up to speed: Hantavirus ship re-opens for bookings – including birdwatching tours | News World
The MV Hondius, a cruise ship operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, was involved in a hantavirus outbreak that resulted in three deaths and 13 confirmed cases. The vessel docked in Rotterdam after deep-cleaning and is now cleared for operations, preparing to set sail for Longyearbyen, Norway.
The MV Hondius has been cleared by Dutch health authority (GGD) officials to resume full operations following a deep clean on May 30. Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed that all crew members from the prior voyage have disembarked and are currently in quarantine.
Following a deep clean, MV Hondius has been cleared by Dutch health authority officials to resume operations, with its first cruise scheduled to depart for Longyearbyen in Svalbard. Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed that all crew members from the prior voyage have disembarked and are in quarantine, ensuring that no individuals with potential exposure will participate in the upcoming tour.
What remains unclear — It is uncertain how the World Health Organisation’s conclusion about potential human-to-human transmission will affect future containment measures.
MV Hondius cruise ship reopens for bookings after hantavirus outbreak
M/V Hondius has been deep-cleaned following the hantavirus outbreak (Picture: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
The cruise ship at the centre of a rat virus outbreak that terrified the world will take to the seas again this month.
MV Hondius triggered a global health scare last month after passengers began falling ill with hantavirus.
A total of 13 hantavirus cases were confirmed from MV Hondius, resulting in three deaths.
The leading theory was that the deadly illness was brought on board by two passengers birdwatching in the city of Ushuaia, Argentina.
The liner has now been deep-cleaned and is carrying tourists again, with bird spotting one of the first activities on the itinerary.
One of the routes takes in Svalbard in the Arctic (Picture: Oceanwide Expeditions)
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A Dutch couple, both 69, fell ill after they visited a landfill site to birdwatch where it is believed they may have been exposed to rodents carrying the infection.
The couple died within days of one another, along with a German national, and a Brit was taken to intensive care in South Africa.
The boat was carrying about 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries before the outbreak, but dozens disembarked on the island of St Helena on 24 April.
There were 30 British nationals on board, but a number got off early at St Helena.
Passengers were sprayed with disinfectant by Spanish government officials after disembarking from MV Hondius in the Canary Islands in mid May (Picture: AP)
As many as 22 Brits were flown home from the ship and told to isolate (Picture: Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images)
The doomed liner dropped off all remaining passengers in the Canary Islands in mid-May before docking in Rotterdam on May 18.
The remaining 22 Brits took a charter flight home and were told to isolate for up to 45 days.
Hantavirus is typically only spread through exposure to rodent urine, faeces or saliva, but the World Health Organisation believes that human-to-human transmission took place on MV Hondius.
After a team of 13 biosecurity experts deep-cleaned the ship, the vessel was cleared on May 30 by Dutch health authority (GGD) officials to return to full operations.
Oceanwide Expeditions said that eight decks were treated and MV Hondius was declared rodent-free.
What is hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are a family of rodent-borne viruses, with each strain tied to a specific host species.
It’s spread when people come into contact with infected droppings, saliva, urine or nesting materials, but is extremely rare, and rarely passed from person to person.
If caught, hantavirus can lead to two main illnesses, one of which affects the lungs (Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome or HPS) and the other which affects the kidneys (Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome or HFRS).
The incubation period for this illness is generally two to four weeks, according to the government, but can range from as little as two days to as long as eight weeks.
Hantavirus is avirus transmitted by infected rodents causing severe respiratory and hemorrhagic diseases in humans. (Credits: Getty Images)
What are the symptoms?
Early symptoms of hantavirus are similar to the flu, and include headaches, dizziness, chills as well as abdominal problems like diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea.
If it progresses into Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, patients can experience headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
If you develop Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome, initial symptoms will include intense headaches, back and abdominal pain, fever or chills, nausea, and blurred vision.
If the disease progresses, later symptoms include low blood pressure, acute shock (lack of blood flow), internal bleeding, and acute kidney failure, according to the CDC.
Hantavirus can be fatal, so it’s important to keep an eye on symptoms if you believe you’ve been exposed. There is currently no cure for the disease.
The vessel will now be setting sail for Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost permanently inhabited town in Svalbard, Norway, for its first tour since the hantavirus outbreak.
The North Spitsbergen Explorer cruise will take guests around the archipelago over seven nights.
There, guests will be able to observe Arctic wildlife, including spotting seabird colonies and viewing the bird cliffs of Alkefjellet.
There will also be opportunities to see glaciers, ice caps, seals, and polar bears.
A place on the cruise ranges in price from £5,000 for a shared room to £14,000 for a Grand Suite.
The cruise’s crew will not feature anyone who had contact with individuals quarantining following possible exposure to the virus.
All crew members who were present during the prior voyage of MV Hondius have disembarked the vessel and are currently in quarantine.
Oceanwide Expeditions also said that medical and epidemiological information confirms that the hantavirus was introduced before embarkation and did not originate from the vessel.
A statement reads: ‘The completion of this deep clean and disinfection of the vessel eliminates the possibility of future transmission of hantavirus, which has limited environmental stability compared to many other viruses.’
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