Rotterdam Erects Quarantine Cabins for Hondius Crew: History’s First Shipboard Andes Hantavirus Outbreak Reaches Final Port
Dutch authorities in Rotterdam erected 23 quarantine cabins to isolate the 27 remaining crew members of the MV Hondius after the ship reached the final port on Monday, 18 May, amid the first documented shipboard outbreak of Andes hantavirus, which has already killed three people and infected eight others across 13 countries. The ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, now considers delaying its Arctic cruise schedule after initially refusing to alter plans, while health officials prepare for a 42-day isolation period and expanded testing upon arrival.
Dutch health authorities in Rotterdam installed 23 prefabricated quarantine cabins on Friday, 15 May, to isolate the remaining 27 crew members of the MV Hondius, which will arrive in Rotterdam on Monday, 18 May. The ship is linked to the first confirmed shipboard outbreak of Andes hantavirus, a rare strain capable of human-to-human transmission. The outbreak has already resulted in three deaths and infected at least eight people across more than a dozen countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the United States, and others. Rotterdam-Rijnmond regional health service (GGD) confirmed mandatory testing for all crew and medical personnel upon arrival, with Dutch Health Minister Sophie Hermans and Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen designating Rotterdam as the national handling port for infectious-disease shipping cases. Authorities have not yet decided whether the cabins will serve as the primary site for the full 42-day isolation period. As of 15 May, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported 11 total cases linked to the MV Hondius—eight confirmed, two probable, and one inconclusive—with three fatalities. Two additional confirmed cases emerged since the last update, including one passenger who developed symptoms during a repatriation flight to France and another in Spain. The working hypothesis remains that the virus originated from rodent exposure in South America before spreading among passengers and crew aboard the ship. The Andes virus (ANDV) is the only known hantavirus strain capable of human-to-human transmission, primarily through close contact and potentially airborne exposure. Symptoms typically appear within 4 to 42 days, posing challenges for containment. Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) activated its Emergency Operations Center at Level 3 and dispatched teams to assess repatriated passengers. Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship’s operator, initially refused to alter its summer Arctic sailing schedule, including a cruise set to begin on 29 May. However, the company now expects to announce revised plans by the end of the week, signaling a potential delay. The outbreak has also forced a Dutch hospital into a six-week quarantine of its staff after a safety-protocol failure involving a repatriated patient.
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