Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship near Canary Islands kills three, officials say risk low

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) Health officials are stressing that a hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship near Spain’s Canary Islands is not the start of another COVID-19 pandemic, even as the vessel reports multiple illnesses and deaths.

“I want to be unequivocal here. This is not SARS-CoV-2. This is not the start of a COVID pandemic.

This is an outbreak that we see on a ship,” said Maria Van Kerkhove.

The M-V Hondius has been sailing closer to Spain’s Canary Islands following the outbreak that killed three passengers.

The body of one of the deceased remained on the ship.

The M-V Hondius departed from Argentina on April 1.

Five days later, a 70-year-old Dutch man developed a respiratory illness, and on April 11 he died at sea.

His wife died two days later.

On Thursday, World Health Organization officials confirmed five of eight people sickened on the ship were infected with the Andes strain of the virus.

The California Department of Public Health said California residents were on board the cruise ship and that it is coordinating with local health officials to monitor returning travelers.

The department said there is no information that the California passengers are infected.

Despite the outbreak aboard the ship, local health officials said the virus does not appear to pose serious public health risks.

“This particular circumstance, of a small ship with a number of people that have been sick like clearly an outbreak is ongoing, but we are sort of making the assumption that the people that have been repatriated into the United States aren’t ill,” said Kim Hernandez, division director of health services.

Hernandez, with Kern County Public Health, said the agency has dealt with similar situations.

“So that is something that we have done in many situations with various communicable diseases where people who may have been exposed have been followed up with and we kind of ensure that they don’t develop symptoms, or if they do develop symptoms that they get assessed right away,” Hernandez said.

While the risk is considered low, Hernandez said hantavirus is spread by rodents and that precautions are still important.

“Disinfect any kind of nest that you might see or piles of droppings and avoid things like sweeping and vacuuming because we don’t want to aerosolize that and breathe it in but really kind of wet mopping scooping it up and getting it out of those enclosed spaces,” Hernandez said.