A crew member of cruise ship Hondius, who was in quarantine in the Netherlands, has contracted the Andes virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported this on Friday.
The crew member came into close contact with people who had the Andes virus on board the cruise ship. The patient has been admitted to hospital in isolation for safety reasons. The GGD is now checking whether the man has been in contact with other people.
The Dutch cruise expedition ship arrived in the port of Rotterdam last Monday, after three passengers previously died from the hantavirus. Twelve others have become infected with the virus.
Passengers left the ship earlier. The 25 remaining crew members, a doctor and a nurse who arrived in Rotterdam on Monday, must be quarantined for a month. Some of them use 23 portocabins in the port or stay on board the ship. The RIVM and Erasmus MC conduct weekly research into people who have gone into quarantine.
According to the RIVM, the chance of further spread in the Netherlands, despite the new infection, is still “very small”. The agency says it has taken “strict precautions.”
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M/V Hondius arrives in the port of Rotterdam after an eventful journey through the Atlantic Ocean
