Hantavirus-hit cruise ship docks in the Netherlands

MV Hondius was carrying 25 crew members and two medical personnel as it reached the Dutch port of Rotterdam.A cruise ship hit by a deadly Hantavirus outbreak has docked in the Netherlands for disinfection.The MV Hondius was carrying 25 crew members and two medical personnel as it reached the Dutch port of Rotterdam on Monday, after all the passengers disembarked at other locations. According to the ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions, no one on board is experiencing any symptoms.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Why the Hantavirus outbreak is different from COVID-19list 2 of 3The Take: Hantavirus – How scared should we be?list 3 of 3WHO confirms 10 global Hantavirus cases, Hondius crew remain symptom-freeend of listA short distance from where the ship docked, authorities had set up white containers along the water. The crew will enter immediate quarantine, with those who cannot be immediately repatriated spending their time in quarantine in these containers.Three passengers of the ship died, including a Dutch couple who health officials believe were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America.The MV Hondius has spent the past six days sailing from the Canary Islands, where the remaining passengers were evacuated and boarded flights to more than 20 countries to enter quarantine.There were at least 11 cases of infection on the ship, nine of which have been confirmed.The Canada" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="128921" data-entity-type="organization">Public Health Agency of Canada said one of the four Canadians in isolation after leaving the ship had tested positive on Sunday. It said it would share information on the case with the World Health Organization (WHO).Late Sunday, the WHO said it was maintaining its assessment of the Hantavirus outbreak as “low risk”.“While additional cases may still occur among passengers and crew members exposed before containment measures were implemented, the risk of onward transmission is expected to be reduced following disembarkation and the implementation of control measures,” it said.