{"id":683438,"date":"2026-05-21T04:47:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T04:47:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/683438\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T04:47:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T04:47:17","slug":"hantavirus-hit-cruise-operator-says-ship-was-not-source-of-outbreak-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/683438\/","title":{"rendered":"Hantavirus-hit cruise operator says ship was not source of outbreak – National"},"content":{"rendered":"

The operator of the hantavirus<\/a>-stricken cruise ship said that indications \u201cstrongly suggest\u201d the virus was introduced prior to embarkation and \u201cdid not originate from the vessel itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The MV Hondius, operated by Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, made headlines when three individuals died after contracting hantavirus<\/a> during their voyage earlier this month.<\/p>\n

Hantavirus is mainly spread by contact with rodents or their urine, saliva or droppings, particularly when the material is disturbed and becomes airborne, posing a risk of inhalation,\u00a0according to the Canadian government<\/a>. But the\u00a0hantavirus that has caused the current outbreak, called the Andes virus, may be able to spread between people in rare cases.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Click<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t4:31
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOne person isolating in BC tests positive for hantavirus\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

In a statement on Tuesday<\/a>, Oceanwide Expeditions CEO Remi Bouysset said that the indications are based on \u201cthe medical and epidemiological information currently available, including guidance from WHO experts and relevant health authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cInvestigations remain ongoing regarding the exact location where the virus may have been contracted. At this stage, there is no indication that the source of infection was linked to the vessel\u2019s condition or to Oceanwide Expeditions\u2019 onboard operations,\u201d Bouysset said.<\/p>\n

The MV Hondius maintains \u201cstrict pest-control and biosecurity procedures onboard our vessels, including regular inspections and monitoring,\u201d according to the CEO.<\/p>\n

He said that pest control and biosecurity procedures were performed during the voyage, which began on April 1, and showed no evidence of rodents or pests being present throughout.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat initially appeared to be an isolated medical situation evolved into a far more serious and complex event, requiring the rapid building of an international coalition and the full activation of crisis management procedures,\u201d Bouysset added.<\/p>\n

The response of the cruise ship operator evolved around three operational phases, including \u201cemergency medical stabilization and evacuation operations in Cape Verde,\u201d \u201ccontrolled disembarkation, screening, quarantine, and transition operations in the Canary Islands\u201d and \u201cvessel transit to Rotterdam, vessel sanitization, crew transition, operational restart, resilience, and lessons learned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Receive<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tGet weekly health news<\/p>\n

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.<\/p>\n

The ship arrived safely in Rotterdam on Monday and the remaining crew are being disembarked under the applicable guidance and procedures. The repatriation of the deceased individual who remained on board will take place with \u201cthe greatest care and respect,\u201d Bouysset said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vessel will now undergo a complete cleaning and sanitization process, together with the full implementation of additional protocols, procedures, and a complete crew transition before returning to operations. We want to take the necessary time to complete every step properly and responsibly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Click<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2:04
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCanadian with hantavirus was isolating with partner\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Bouysset added that Oceanwide Expeditions will ensure that MV Hondius returns to the field \u201cfully prepared and with the highest possible standards of safety and operational readiness, with the continuation of our Arctic season currently planned for 13 June.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oceanwide Expeditions said that it has been impacted over the recent weeks \u201clike any company facing an exceptional situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, we remain resilient, focused, and financially solid. Since our foundation in 1993, we have navigated challenging periods before, always by staying close to our values: serious operations, small-ship expeditions, experienced people, and long-term thinking,\u201d the company added.<\/p>\n

Bouysset said that the company will continue to review the hantavirus situation carefully with relevant experts and authorities and \u201ctake the lessons from it seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe operate in some of the most remote regions on earth. That comes with responsibility toward our guests, crew, partners, and the environments we explore. Situations like these remind us of the importance of preparation, teamwork, experience, and calm decision-making under pressure,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

Oceanwide Expedition\u2019s focus now is on \u201csupporting those affected, allowing teams to recover, completing the remaining procedures responsibly, and preparing for the next phase.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore on World
\n\t\t\tMore videos\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tArgentines hunting for source of hantavirus outbreak\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Argentine investigators searching for the source of a deadly hantavirus outbreak were trapping rodents in the forests surrounding the southernmost city of Ushuaia on Tuesday, with the aim of detecting the possible presence of the rat-borne virus in an area previously thought unaffected.<\/p>\n

The scientists, wearing bright blue gloves and surgical masks, checked the 150 box traps they had set out the previous night, dropping dead rats into black plastic bags that they hoisted into pickup trucks bound for a makeshift lab where they said they\u2019d draw blood samples.<\/p>\n

Tuesday\u2019s rat-trapping marks the start of fieldwork within Argentina\u2019s wider investigation into the origin of the contagion that struck the MV Hondius, killing three people, sickening several others and setting off a global scramble to trace passengers and their close contacts.<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tArgentine scientists collect traps placed at different points across Ushuaia, Argentina, on May 19, 2026, as part of an investigation into the source of the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAP Photo\/Lujan Agusti\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The state-backed Malbr\u00e1n Institute, Argentina\u2019s leading research center for infectious diseases, said the team would repeat the routine<\/a> for the next three days before returning with the samples to the institute\u2019s main Buenos Aires laboratory to test for hantavirus. Testing could take up to one month.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were able to capture what was expected,\u201d said Mart\u00edn Alfaro, the spokesperson for the local health ministry of Tierra del Fuego.<\/p>\n

The effort comes almost two weeks after the Argentine Health Ministry first announced<\/a> it would send the team from the Malbr\u00e1n Institute to Ushuaia.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important to note that although it is not confirmed that the transmission occurred in Argentina and that Tierra del Fuego has not reported any cases of hantavirus since mandatory reporting of the event began in 1996, these actions are part of the intensified epidemiological surveillance strategy being carried out in coordination with the jurisdictions, which are responsible for strengthening the reporting and detection of cases in their territories,\u201d the Argentine Health Ministry said at the time.<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

\u2014With files from The Associated Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The operator of the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship said that indications \u201cstrongly suggest\u201d the virus was introduced prior to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":683439,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[49,48,241672,84,3275],"class_list":["post-683438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-hantavirus","tag-health","tag-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=683438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/683439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=683438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=683438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=683438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}