A cruise ship operated by Oceanwide Expeditions is undergoing further cleaning in the Netherlands following a hantavirus outbreak that has resulted in 12 cases and three deaths. The ship, which returned to Rotterdam last week, is receiving additional cleaning on the advice of the local health authority, GGD. The vessel’s home port is in Vlissingen, located in the southern Netherlands.

Health Precautions and Monitoring

The GGD health authority recommended the extra cleaning after conducting an inspection of the ship. Oceanwide Expeditions stated that a final inspection by GGD will be conducted before the ship can depart from Rotterdam. Yvonne van Duijnhoven, the director of public health in Rotterdam, initially estimated that cleaning and disinfecting the vessel would take three days.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported that no additional deaths have occurred since May 2. All passengers and crew remain in quarantine and are under close monitoring to ensure they receive necessary care. The risk to the general public from this outbreak is considered low by public health officials.

Future Operations

Oceanwide Expeditions had initially planned for the ship, named Hondius, to set sail on an Arctic cruise from Keflavik, Iceland, on May 29. However, the company has now stated that voyages from June 13 onwards will proceed as scheduled, with no further disruptions expected.

Hantaviruses typically spread through inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings, but the Andes virus, responsible for this outbreak, may rarely spread between people. Despite the outbreak, health officials are maintaining vigilance and staying in contact with relevant governments to monitor the situation.

Original reporting: WTVQ (Lexington) — read the source article.