WHO says 12th person infected with hantavirus detected in the Netherlands

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The World Health Organization has urged countries to continue monitoring passengers for hantavirus after a case was detected among a Dutch crew member of the ship at the centre of the outbreak.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, told a news conference in Geneva on Friday that he urges all countries to monitor the passengers who were on board the MV Hondius cruise ship and “move carefully for the remainder of the quarantine period”.

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Tedros said a Dutch crew member had tested positive and was now in isolation, taking the total positive cases to 12.

So far, three people have died due to the virus.

Tedros reiterated that no deaths have been reported since May 2, when the outbreak was first reported to the WHO.

“More than 600 contacts continue to be followed in 30 countries, and a small number of high-risk contacts are still being located,” he added.

Dutch authorities also confirmed that the infected crew member had been taken to hospital.

“The Andes virus has been detected in one person who was in quarantine in the Netherlands. The patient has since been admitted to the hospital as a precaution and is in isolation,” said the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).

“The RIVM understands that this news may raise questions or concerns. However, the chance of further spread in the Netherlands remains very small,” the statement said.

According to the RIVM, everyone who had evacuated from the Dutch-flagged ship to the Netherlands is tested every week, and two separate laboratories confirmed the positive test.

It added that the person who had tested positive had been isolating at home.

The initial cruise ship had departed on April 1 from Ushuaia, Argentina, before heading to Cape Verde and then Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands.

While the WHO is investigating how the virus got on board the ship, it is believed that the first person to contract it could have been exposed to rodents during a bird-watching expedition.

While rodents spread hantavirus, the Andes strain is the only known strain capable of spreading from human to human.