The World Health Organisation has confirmed that the first hantavirus fatality linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak was infected before the voyage began.
The polar expedition ship departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 with roughly 150 passengers and crew. A 70-year-old Dutch passenger developed symptoms on April 6 and died on board on April 11.
WHO expert Anais Legand was clear on the timeline: “The man very clearly had exposure before boarding the ship. For this virus, there is no evidence that the disease can be transmitted to someone before symptoms appear.” She added the exposure was “certainly linked to a rodent.”
Three people have since died — the Dutch couple and a German national — with eight cases identified as of May 6. The ship has since headed to Spain’s Canary Islands.
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