An Australian passenger who was aboard the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak has reportedly returned home.
Three people who were on MV Hondius, the Dutch cruise ship at the centre of the outbreak sailing in the Atlantic Ocean, have died since it set sail from Argentina a month ago.
According to Spanish newspaper El Pais, an Australian passenger was among 23 people who disembarked the ship on April 23 on the island of Saint Helena, 10 days after the first death on board.
A Spanish passenger still on the ship told the paper: “Twenty‑three people got off in Saint Helena. There are 23 people wandering around there, and until three days ago, no one had contacted them.
“We were in touch with them and kept asking ourselves, ‘when are they going to tell them something?’ Some people weren’t contacted until yesterday.”
Many of those have since returned home and resumed daily life, including the Australian, according to the passenger.
The passenger told the paper that at least one of those 23 passengers has been infected with the virus and has been admitted to a hospital in Switzerland: “He wasn’t feeling well, went to the hospital, and this morning tested positive.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said in its latest update that eight cases of hantavirus, three confirmed and five suspected, have been identified in people who were on the ship.
One of the three deceased was confirmed to have had the virus, while the other two deaths are under investigation.
Three people have been evacuated from MV Hondius, the ship’s operator Oceanwide Expeditions said.
Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed earlier this week that a New Zealander was among the passengers on board.
“Strict precautionary measures are in process on board, including isolation measures, hygiene protocols and medical monitoring,” it said. “All passengers have been informed and are being supported.
“Oceanwide Expeditions is in close contact with those directly involved and their families, and is providing support where possible.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told the Herald the New Zealander on board has not sought consular assistance.
“Consular officials in Wellington and in our embassies in the Hague and Madrid continue to engage with our consular partners and local authorities about the situation of the passengers on the MV Hondius.
“To date, the New Zealander on board has not sought consular assistance. No further information will be shared for privacy reasons.”
The ship, which has 146 people on board, has today begun a three-day journey to the Canary Islands.
Spain’s Health Minister Monica Garcia said all people who remain on the ship have no symptoms.
She said everyone will be medically assessed on arrival in Tenerife and, if fit to travel, will then be repatriated to their home countries.
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses spread to humans through rodents that can lead to serious illness and death.
Professor in molecular virology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Roger Hewson, said different hantaviruses are found in separate parts of the globe.
“In the Americas, some hantaviruses can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome [HPS], a rare but potentially very severe illness affecting the lungs,” he said.
“Symptoms can initially be non-specific, including fever, muscle aches, headache and gastrointestinal symptoms, before some patients progress to respiratory illness”.
University of Otago professor of public health Michael Baker told the Herald that HPS is “very dangerous”, with about a third of the 100 people who contract the disease in Argentina annually dying.
The most common way to become infected with a hantavirus is by inhaling dust that contains droppings, urine and saliva of infected rodents.
The human-to-human infection risk is very low, Baker said, although it has been recorded before.
Baker said it would be likely that the tourists caught the disease while on land and then boarded the ship carrying it.
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