Tracing Passengers from Hantavirus Cruise Ship at St Helena
Health authorities are urgently working to trace dozens of individuals who disembarked from a cruise ship affected by hantavirus on the island of St Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
The Dutch operator of the vessel, MV Hondius, reported that 29 passengers of at least 12 different nationalities left the ship on 24 April. However, the Dutch government cited a higher number of 40 passengers.
A 69-year-old Dutch woman, who later passed away in South Africa, was among those who disembarked. Two additional deaths occurred on board the ship, which had departed from southern Argentina approximately one month prior. Investigations into these fatalities are ongoing.
On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed five out of eight suspected hantavirus cases. While recognizing the severity of the disease, the WHO assessed the public health risk as low.
The Dutch government confirmed that a Swiss national diagnosed with hantavirus was also among those who left the cruise ship at the British Overseas Territory.
Additionally, three individuals—a British, Dutch, and German national—were evacuated from the vessel on Wednesday.
The British evacuee has been identified as 56-year-old Martin Anstee, who is currently in stable condition.
"He's fine," Anstee, a retired police officer and expedition guide on the MV Hondius, told the BBC on Thursday.
The other evacuees include a 41-year-old Dutch crew member and a 65-year-old German passenger, according to the WHO.
St Helena is among the most remote islands globally, covering 47 square miles (127 square kilometers)—approximately one-third the size of the Isle of Wight—with a population of about 4,400 and a single hospital.
Oceanwide Expeditions provided an update on Thursday stating that 30 people, including the body of one deceased guest, had disembarked on 24 April.
This group comprised seven British and six American passengers, along with individuals from Canada, Germany, Singapore, Turkey, and Switzerland.
The company noted that the first confirmed hantavirus case was reported on 4 May and that all guests who left the ship have been contacted.
Oceanwide Expeditions emphasized that it remains in "close and continual discussion with relevant authorities regarding our exact point of arrival, quarantine and screening procedures for all guests."
The Dutch luxury cruise liner is scheduled to dock in Spain's Canary Islands in the coming days.
WHO Comments and Travel History
At a news conference, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus stated that the first two cases "travelled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on a bird-watching trip which included visits to sites where the species of rat known to carry the virus was present."
"We are aware of reports of other people with symptoms who may have had contact with passengers," Dr. Tedros added, noting that officials are in communication with relevant authorities.
Considering the incubation period of hantavirus, which can extend up to six weeks, Dr. Tedros indicated that additional cases might emerge.
The Dutch government reported that the ship stopped at St Helena en route to Cape Verde, an archipelago off the West African coast.
Among those who disembarked was the 69-year-old Dutch woman who left the cruise at St Helena on 24 April and subsequently traveled to South Africa, where she died two days later. Her husband died aboard the ship on 11 April but is not a confirmed hantavirus case.
The Dutch government update stated that before her death, the woman boarded a KLM flight from Johannesburg to the Netherlands but became ill prior to departure.
The Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment plans to send letters to passengers on that flight, requesting they remain available for monitoring.
Dutch media reported on Thursday that a KLM flight attendant who had contact with the deceased woman was hospitalized in Amsterdam exhibiting hantavirus symptoms.
The third fatality, a German woman, is also not a confirmed hantavirus case. Her body remains on the ship.
International Responses and Monitoring
Singapore's Communicable Diseases Agency announced it is isolating and testing two men—a 67-year-old Singaporean and a 65-year-old permanent resident—who disembarked the ship at St Helena.
Both individuals traveled on the same flight from St Helena to Johannesburg as the 69-year-old woman who died. Their hantavirus test results are pending.
Two U.S. states, Georgia and Arizona, confirmed to the BBC that they are monitoring three passengers who returned to the United States after disembarking. None are currently showing symptoms. The U.S. Department of State stated it is in "direct contact" with affected passengers.
The local government of Tristan da Cunha, part of the British Overseas Territory of St Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha, reported it is "working closely with the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and other international partners to assess and manage the situation."
"The islanders who travelled to St Helena on the MV Hondius are being advised by Public Health in St Helena to undertake a period of self-isolation, just as a precaution. We will do the same here where necessary," the statement said.
It further added that it will "provide full support to those who are asked to do so," and that "a full risk-based contact tracing process" is underway.
Additional Investigations and Precautions
Argentina's health ministry announced plans to test rodents in Ushuaia, the city where the ship departed on 1 April.
